Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Sunday, July 26, 2015

A-Rod's third home run sparks late Yankees rally over Twins. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 Scoggins: Perkins pays price for being a little off. Star Tribune (Scoggins) p. 2 Twins notes: Buxton won't be rushed back. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 3 A-Rod hits three homers as Yankees rally past Twins. Pioneer Press (Frederick) p. 4 Twins' Torii Hunter passes Kirby Puckett with milestone homer. Pioneer Press (Frederick) p. 4 Twins report: Byron Buxton ready for first step on road back. Pioneer Press (Frederick & Berardino) p. 6

Charley Walters: Memories of 1965 still fresh for Twins great Jim Kaat. Pioneer Press (Walters) p. 7 Tom Powers: Twins' Eddie Rosario shakes up everybody when on base. Pioneer Press (Powers) p. 8 Perkins' rare command lapse costs Twins. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 9 Unable to stop A-Rod, Twins stunned in ninth. MLB.com (Helfand & Hoch) p. 10 Molitor ejected for disputing strikeout call. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 11 Twins set Buxton's timeline; 1 month 'a stretch'. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 12 Gibson can answer Yanks' statement in finale. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 12 Molitor ejected, shows some fire after arguing checked swing. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 14 Twins sign free agent pitcher Michael Bowden, assign him to Rochester. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 14 Rodriguez hits 3 home runs, Yankees fly past Twins, Perkins in 9th. Associated Press p. 16

A-Rod's third home run sparks late Yankees rally over Twins Phil Miller | Star Tribune | July 25, 2015

A week after his 40th birthday, Torii Hunter hit a memorable home run Saturday night. Two days before his 40th, Alex Rodriguez hit three of them.

Three is greater than one, and on Saturday, Rodriguez’s Yankees were greater than Hunter’s Twins, rallying for four runs in the ninth off All-Star closer Glen Perkins for a stunning 8-5 victory before the biggest crowd in four years at Target Field.

“He’s put together a pretty phenomenal season, coming back from not playing for a year. It’s not easy to do when you’re 30, much less 40,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Rodriguez, who ignored the constant and vociferous boos of the 40,660 in attendance to bash three titanic blasts, the last one on Perkins’ first pitch in the ninth. “He’s still quick, still powerful, still doing damage,” Molitor said.

A-Rod, who turns 40 on Monday, was the headliner, but little-known backup catcher John Ryan Murphy wasn’t bad, either, capping New York’s four-run ninth with his first homer of the season, and second of his career, handing Perkins his second blown save in a week, after 28 consecutive successful ones. Murphy’s blow to deep right-center turned a tie game into another can-you-believe-it chapter in the Twins’ history against New York

“I threw a slider up and away,” Perkins said of the 2-2 pitch to Murphy. “Obviously that’s not where I’m trying to throw it.”

Nobody threw it to the right spot against Rodriguez, who spoiled what looked like a feel-good night for the Twins.

“There were days in my 20s when I couldn’t do that,” said Rodriguez, whose last three-homer game came in 2010. “It feels good to do it right before my 40th birthday … I’m working hard. I’m healthy, I’m happy and I’m appreciating everything the game has to offer.”

Minnesota jumped to a 5-0 lead against ex-Cy Young winner CC Sabathia on the strength of home runs from Aaron Hicks and Hunter, then shut down for the night. Minnesota collected just one hit, a meaningless eighth-inning single, after Hunter’s third-inning, three-run homer.

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That homer, Hunter’s 16th of the season, was supposed to be the night’s biggest memory, since it was also his 208th career blast as a Twin. That’s one more than Hunter’s mentor, Kirby Puckett, hit for the Twins, and it came on a night, by coincidence, when Hunter visited with Kirby Puckett Jr. before the game.

But A-Rod trumped all that, spoiling Tommy Milone’s strong start — Rodriguez’s first homer, which landed in the second deck in left field, was the Yankees’ only hit in the first six innings — and spoiled the Twins’ chance of clinching a series against the Yankees for the first time at Target Field.

“We kind of shut down offensively,” Molitor said. “You get five runs against a good team, you hope you can find a way to win that game. That’s why you’ve got to keep adding on. ”

Molitor didn’t get to see his team’s meltdown, having been ejected, for the second time as a manager, in the sixth inning. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson called Hicks out with the bases loaded on a checked swing, and Hicks and Molitor both complained.

“I thought it was close enough for him to ask for help on. I don’t think it was something he had a very clear look at, not if he’s concentrating on the pitch,” Molitor said. “But he thought he saw enough to call it a swing, and I just voiced my opinion that I thought it was too close for him to make that call. ”

Molitor said he hadn’t planned to confront Nelson, but the umpire gave him little choice.

“It was puzzling in that I was trying to make a case from the top of the dugout that I thought he should have asked for help, and he told me he couldn’t hear me about five times,” the manager said. “I went out to tell him. He said, ‘You can’t argue that,’ and then he threw me out. I don’t know if his intent was to try to get me out there so he could throw me out, you’d have to ask him.”

Scoggins: Perkins pays price for being a little off

Chip Scoggins | Star Tribune | July 25, 2015

Glen Perkins bent over at the waist, hands on knees, watching a second home run in the ninth inning sail into the distance.

The Twins’ All-Star closer has been so good, so dominant, so darn near perfect all season that it felt strange to see him in this position — ineffective and struggling in the ninth inning of a ballgame.

Usually, it’s the other way around, with Perkins beating up on his competition, always in control of the situation. Usually, that’s his time to throw heat and make hitters look helpless.

But as Saturday night revealed in stunning detail, Perkins is vulnerable to an occasional hiccup that proves costly.

The New York Yankees roughed up Perkins with two home runs and four runs total in the ninth to rally for an 8-5 victory that ruined what started as another festive night for the largest home crowd in four years at Target Field.

Perkins had not allowed two home runs in a game as a reliever. Ever.

He had given up only six runs total in 40 innings this season. The Yankees got to him for four runs on five hits before he was lifted with two outs.

Despite Perkins’ remarkable run early in the season, a blown save was bound to happen eventually. He started the season with 28 consecutive saves before blowing his first one last week at Oakland.

His second one left him frustrated because he was unable to locate the ball where he wanted.

“I’ve said all year, I’m going to blow games,” Perkins said. “I’m not going to be able to go out there and hit every spot. I feel like I hit almost every spot the first half of the season.”

Perkins said Saturday’s outing marked the first time all season where he failed to locate his pitches. It felt like an extra hard kick to the shins because it came against the Twins’ nemesis in a game that the home team looked comfortably in control of early on.

The Twins blew a five-run lead by allowing the Yankees to reel off eight unanswered runs, mostly off the bat of Alex Rodriguez.

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Rodriguez made mincemeat of Twins pitching all game, launching a trifecta of home runs that needed telescopes to be viewed.

The start of the ninth inning delivered the Twins’ best vs. the Yankees’ best.

Handed a 5-4 lead, Perkins gave up Rodriguez’s third mammoth blast on the first pitch of the inning. Perkins wanted a fastball up in the zone. Instead, he threw it low and Rodriguez made him pay.

“It’s a little bit of shock there,” manager Paul Molitor said. “You’re ready to throw your first pitch and all of a sudden it’s a tie game.”

Perkins wanted to challenge Rodriguez. He trusts his stuff. He just made a bad pitch.

“I threw everything in the wrong spot tonight,” Perkins said. “Credit to him for getting the first pitch. Man, not too many guys swing at the first pitch off me in the ninth.”

Mark Teixeira followed Rodriguez’s home run with a single. Chase Headley also singled.

Two on, one out, with catcher John Ryan Murphy coming to bat.

Perkins threw a 2-2 slider that he wanted down. Instead, he missed his spot again and Murphy hit the ball over the right-center wall.

“That was up and away,” Perkins said. “That’s obviously not where I’m trying to throw it. If that ball is down, I like my chances. Missed my spot.”

Nights like that happens sometimes, even to the best in the game. Perkins has slammed the door shut so many times this season to preserve wins. His 31st save opportunity of the season had a different outcome.

It was a strange sight.

“It [stinks],” Perkins said. “It’s magnified. I’ll learn from that. Just got to be a little more careful and trust in my mechanics and pitch selection. Just got to put the ball where I want it and it will be OK.”

Twins notes: Buxton won't be rushed back Phil Miller | Star Tribune | July 25, 2015

The Twins have sketched out Byron Buxton’s road back to the big leagues. They’re keeping him out of the express lane. Buxton, who sprained ligaments in his left thumb during a game on June 23, then went on the disabled list two days later, could miss another month as he prepares to return, though General Manager Terry Ryan said that timeline “might be a bit of a stretch.” Still, it’s clear the Twins are taking no chances with their top prospect, who went 7-for-37 in a two-week debut with the team last month.

“When you [get ready to come back], you’re going to do it conservatively,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “It’s a process. We talked about [being out] 4-6 weeks, and it looks like it’s going to be all that before he gets a chance to play.” All that and more. The plan, as worked out with Buxton, athletic trainer Dave Pruemer and Twins officials, calls for the 21-year-old outfielder to do resistance drills underwater, which he began Thursday, then advancing to hitting off a tee and doing flip drills, where he hits pitches tossed from 10 feet away, this weekend. If all goes well, Molitor said, Buxton could take batting practice on the field next Thursday or Friday, “and then we’ll see how he responds.” The next step, Molitor said, would be a few days at the Twins’ Florida headquarters in Fort Myers, where he could take batting practice against pitchers throwing 90 mph, not the standard 65-mph BP speed. “That’s the right thing to do, because we want him to see some pitching before he goes on a rehab,” Ryan said of the unusual detour. “He’s been out for awhile.”

Once Buxton is comfortable, an official rehab stint would begin, with the outfielder assigned to one of the Twins’ minor-league teams.

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Ryan said he hasn’t decided where Buxton will go, but said quality of pitching would be an important consideration, making Class AAA Rochester his most likely destination. Rehab assignments are limited to 21 days, and Ryan said “it’ll be a lengthy rehab because he hasn’t played for so long.”

Still, the Twins hope Buxton can return before September.

“For me, there’s always optimism, being young, that it might get expedited a little bit,” Molitor said.

Etc.

• Saturday was Brian Dozier bobblehead night at Target Field, and the team’s stockpile of 10,000 toys were gone more than an hour before game time — a fact that seemed to amaze the model. “I can’t believe people wait in line for one,” Dozier said. The All-Star second baseman said he liked that the bobblehead isn’t wearing a cap or helmet.“Kind of like [Eduardo] Nunez,” he joked of his teammate, known for losing his helmet on the bases. • The Twins signed righthander Michael Bowden, a 28-year-old pitcher with six years of major-league experience with the Red Sox and Cubs, on Saturday and assigned him to Rochester, a move to add depth to the team’s Triple-A pitching staff. • The Twins have asked MLB to review the scoring of a play last Saturday in Anaheim. With Albert Pujols on first in the sixth inning, Kyle Gibson fielded a ground ball by Erick Aybar, whirled and threw wildly to second base. The play was ruled a fielder’s choice, but the Twins are asking it be changed to an error on Gibson — who has never committed a fielding error in his career — and the run that scored later changed to an unearned run.

A-Rod hits three homers as Yankees rally past Twins

Jace Frederick | Pioneer Press | July 25, 2015

Boos poured out from the 40,660 in attendance at Target Field every time Alex Rodriguez stepped to the plate Saturday night.

But Rodriguez got the last laugh.

Rodriguez -- who is far from a crowd favorite at parks all over the country, largely thanks to his past association with performance-enhancing drugs, which led to a suspension costing him the entire 2014 season -- blasted three home runs, including a game-tying solo shot off Glen Perkins to lead off the ninth, to rally the Yankees (54-42) from a 5-0 deficit to an 8-5 win.

It was the fifth three-home run game of Rodriguez's career.

"He's still quick, still powerful," Twins manager Paul Molitor said, "and still doing damage."

Twins starter Tommy Milone allowed just four hits in six-plus innings.

But one of those hits was a Rodriguez solo shot that traveled an estimated distance of 452 feet in the fourth.

"I think he's a guy who we just felt like we needed to mix all over," Milone said. "The first one, a fastball in, it seemed like he was just sitting on it."

Another of those hits was a two-run homer off the bat of Rodriguez in the seventh.

"We went away; I just left it up," Milone said. "He was able to extend his hands and get the barrel on it and hit another one."

All of a sudden, what looked like a great start from Milone was very average, and what looked like a Twins win was very much in doubt.

Still, the Twins held a 5-4 lead heading into the ninth after the bullpen got the job done in the late innings.

That set up a matchup between Rodriguez and Twins all-star closer Glen Perkins.

It was short-lived. Rodriguez -- who turns 40 on Monday -- deposited the first pitch into the stands as Perkins blew a save for the second time in three attempts after converting 28 straight opportunities to start the season.

"Man, he was swinging the bat tonight," Perkins said of Rodriguez. "He got Tommy twice and he got me. Not much you can do. I would have liked to have that pitch back. I would have liked to have thrown it where I wanted and seen how the at-bat turned out."

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Things only got worse for Perkins, as John Ryan Murphy hit a three-run shot later in the ninth to give the Yankees the lead and give Perkins and the Twins (52-45) the loss.

"I threw everything in the wrong spot tonight," Perkins said.

Minnesota jumped out to a 5-0 lead on home runs by Aaron Hicks and Torii Hunter in the early innings. Hunter's homer was his 208th in a Twins jersey, pushing him past Kirby Puckett for sixth on the team's all-time list.

But that was all the scoring the Twins could muster.

"It's tough. You get five runs and you're facing a good team and you hope you can find a way to win that game," Molitor said. "That's why you have to try to keep adding on, because a team that can hit the ball over the fence like they can, you've got to keep the pressure on them and we didn't do that tonight."

The Twins squandered an opportunity to add to the lead in the sixth as Hicks struck out on a checked swing with the bases loaded and two outs.

Molitor went out to ask home plate umpire Jeff Nelson -- a Park High School grad -- why he didn't ask the third base umpire for help and was ejected for only the second time this season.

"It was puzzling in that I was just trying to make a case from the top of the dugout that I thought he should have just asked for help," Molitor said. "Then he told me he couldn't hear what I was saying about five times. And so I just went out there to tell him, he said you can't argue that and then he threw me out. I don't know if his intent was to try to get me out there so he could throw me out. You'd have to ask him that."

The Twins were outscored 7-0 over the final three innings with Molitor in the clubhouse.

The Twins will look to salvage a series victory Sunday. Minnesota hasn't won a home series against the Yankees since 2008.

Twins' Torii Hunter passes Kirby Puckett with milestone homer

Jace Frederick | Pioneer Press | July 25, 2015

The homerun -- Hunter's 208th in a Twins' uniform -- moved him past Kirby Puckett for sixth-place all-time

on the Twins' home run list.

Puckett's son, Kirby Puckett Jr., was on hand to witness the moment.

"Seeing that my dad mentored him, it really is pretty cool to have him be the one," Puckett Jr. said,

"because (Hunter) used to take me under his wing when I was going through a lot, so having him pass

(my dad), I wouldn't really have anybody else do it."

The home run was Hunter's 16th of the season and second in as many days.

Puckett Jr. -- who's currently on summer break from college at Augsburg -- said he's attended more

Twins' games this year than he has any other year. And he isn't surprised to see what Hunter is doing at

the age of 40.

"I know Torii," Puckett Jr. said. "He has the ability to do anything he wants to do."

Next up for Hunter on the Twins' all-time home run list Bob Allison, who's fifth with 211 home runs.

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Twins report: Byron Buxton ready for first step on road back

Jace Frederick & Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | July 25, 2015

The Twins plan to have Byron Buxton start with tee work and flip drills in the next couple of days, manager Paul Molitor said Saturday.

That's the first step in what Molitor called "a preliminary foundation for what's going to happen" with Buxton's recovery process.

Buxton has been out since June 25 with a sprained left thumb.

Molitor said the Twins hope Buxton will be able to hit some batting practice by Thursday or Friday. Once he is able to hit without pain on a daily basis, Molitor said there's been talk of Buxton going down to Florida for live batting practice situations.

"I think that's the right thing to do," general manager Terry Ryan said. "Because we want to get him to see some pitching and so forth before we send him out on to rehab."

Ryan said he hasn't made a final decision on which affiliate Buxton will go to when he leaves Florida, though he did say level of pitching is an issue.

"He needs to be challenged," Ryan said. "We're not going to send him to (low-A) Cedar Rapids or something like that."

Ryan said Buxton's rehab assignment will be "lengthy."

"Because he hasn't played in so long," he said.

But when asked if it would be another month before Buxton is back with the big-league club, Ryan said "that might be a stretch," meaning it could be sooner than that.

"I don't know if it's going to be shorter because he's going to have to go down, gets some hits at at-bats and play the game," Ryan said. "He's been out for one month -- that's pretty lengthy.

So we're going to have to ramp him up again and see how he does." Molitor is hopeful that Buxton's return might be sooner than later.

"I think for me there's always a little bit of optimism (with Buxton) being young that that might get expedited a little bit," Molitor said.

MILESTONE HOMER

Torii Hunter made Twins history with his three-run blast in the third inning Saturday night.

The home run -- Hunter's 208th in a Twins uniform -- moved him past Kirby Puckett for sixth place all-time on the team's all-time list.

Puckett's son, Kirby Puckett Jr., was on hand to witness the moment.

"Seeing that my dad mentored him, it really is pretty cool to have him be the one," Puckett Jr. said, "because (Hunter) used to take me under his wing when I was going through a lot, so having him pass (my dad), I wouldn't really have anybody else do it."

The home run was Hunter's 16th of the season and second in as many days.

Puckett Jr. -- who is on summer break from college at Augsburg -- said he's attended more Twins games this summer than he has any other year. And he isn't surprised to see what Hunter is doing at the age of 40.

"I know Torii," Puckett Jr. said. "He has the ability to do anything he wants to do."

Next up for Hunter on the Twins' all-time home run list is Bob Allison, who's fifth with 211.

HOMETOWN PRIDE

When Randy Johnson goes into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, Twins rookie reliever J.R. Graham will feel an unmistakable sense of pride.

Just three players in the history of Livermore (Calif.) High School (33 miles southeast of Oakland) have reached the major leagues. Graham is the third, following in the footsteps of Cleveland Indians reliever Bryan Shaw and Johnson.

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The man destined to become the most dominant left-handed pitcher of his generation turned down a $50,000 offer from the Atlanta Braves to sign as a fourth-rounder out of Livermore High in 1982. One pick later, the Kansas City Royals drafted (and failed to sign) a first baseman named Will Clark.

Three years later, the Montreal Expos took Johnson in the second round out of USC, where he also played on the basketball team.

Does Graham, less than half his age at 25, have any Randy stories?

"No Randy stories," said Graham, who attended Santa Clara University and signed with the Braves out of that same fourth round in 2011. "I've never met him, but I remember my basketball coach in high school told me he punched Randy in the face. They played together at Livermore. That's just what he said. I don't know if it's true."

Big guy?

"He's actually kind of short," Graham said. "Little scrappy point guard, I guess."

As a senior for the Livermore Cowboys, Johnson struck out 121 batters in 66 innings and threw a perfect game in his final start for the green and gold. Surprisingly, the field at Livermore is not named in Johnson's honor.

"He donated a little bit of money one time, and it was enough for a portable classroom," Graham said.

"We turned it into our clubhouse, and it's been there ever since my coaches have been there. That's been it. It's the 'Randy Johnson Baseball Facility' on a little sign."

Nor is Johnson's number retired. No ex-Cowboys have enjoyed that honor, although there's a tiny sticker with "JR 13" on the 20-foot-high outfield wall in left that was Graham's brainchild.

"You've got to know it's there to find it," Graham said. "My coach (David Perotti) was like, 'I didn't want people to think your number is retired, but I wanted to give you credit.' "

TWINS SIGN PITCHER

The Twins signed right-handed pitcher Michael Bowden to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Rochester, the team announced.

Bowden exercised an out clause in his contract on July 15 after he appeared in 24 games -- including nine starts -- with the Norfolk Tides, Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate. Bowden had a 1.81 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings pitched.

Ryan said the plan is for Bowden -- who pitched 133 2/3 innings from 2008-13 with the Red Sox and the Cubs -- to be a starter in Rochester."

Charley Walters: Memories of 1965 still fresh for Twins great Jim Kaat

Charley Walters | Pioneer Press | July 25, 2015

In 1965, at age 26, Jim Kaat started three of the seven World Series games for the Minnesota Twins against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now 76, Kaat will be among nearly two dozen Twins from that 1965 club gathered at Target Field on Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Minnesota's first World Series.

The Dodgers, behind future Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, won in seven games. Koufax, recently voted one of the four greatest living baseball players, won two games, but lost to Kaat in Game 2 before 48,700 spectators at Metropolitan Stadium.

Kaat, a left-hander, started against the left-handed Koufax three times, in Games 2, 5 and 7.

"I had never seen Sandy pitch in person, but I remember after three innings of Game 2 he went through the lineup one-two-three, and I looked at (Twins pitching coach) Johnny Sain and I said, 'If I give up a run, this game's over.' It looked to me like there wasn't anybody who could hit this guy.

"We barely did hit him. We scratched out two runs -- I think one of them was earned -- and that was the only run we got off him in three games."

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Koufax gave up six hits in six innings in that game; Kaat seven hits in nine innings. The Twins won 5-1.

"Kind of a funny story -- in the bottom of the eighth, (Dodgers reliever Ron) Perranoski balked on purpose to advance the runners to second and third so he could walk (Frank) Quilici to get to me," Kaat recalled.

Advertisement "And I ended up getting a hit up the middle to knock in two more (runs)." In Game 1, the Twins won 8-2 behind Jim "Mudcat" Grant, now 79, who also will attend the 50th anniversary.

"We won the first two games, then the Dodgers swept us (in Los Angeles), then we won Game 6 (behind Grant in Minnesota), then Sandy shut us down (2-0) in Game 7," Kaat said.

Koufax, on two days' rest, also shut out the Twins and Kaat in Game 5, 7-0.

Kaat's most memorable start in 1965, though, wasn't beating Koufax in Game 2.

"It was pitching the (pennant) clincher in Washington," Kaat said.

The Twins won 2-1 on Sept. 26.

"Struck out my old buddy Zim (Don Zimmer) for the last out of the game," Kaat recalled. "I think Quilici hit a sacrifice fly about the fourth inning to give us a 2-1 lead and we made it hold up."

The Twins won 102 regular-season games, still a club record, that year.

"Everybody was reminding us how the (Philadelphia) Phillies (managed by Gene Mauch) blew that big lead in 1964, so we were eager to nail in down as quick as we could," Kaat said.

Sam Mele, now 93 and living in Quincy, Mass., was the American League manager of the year in 1965.

"Sam was perfect for us at that time," Kaat said. "There wasn't a lot of over-managing in those days. They just threw the ball out and let you play, and Sam did that and it was the best thing for us."

Mele, for health reasons, won't be able to attend the 50th anniversary, but son Steve is expected to be at Target Field, along with the families of some of the deceased Twins.

"I'm looking forward to it -- it will be fun," said Kaat, who is peerless as a major league analyst and still works the weekly showcase games for MLB.com.

One former Twin who won't be attending Saturday is former center fielder Jimmie Hall, 77, who made the All-Star team in 1965. The Twins and Hall, who resides in North Carolina, were unable to connect in time for him to plan a trip to Minnesota.

"We were a team of guys who never thought we could be beat," Hall said. "We had a couple outstanding players who really stood out, (Harmon) Killebrew and (Tony) Oliva, but we had a bunch of winners. We weren't the best in the world, but we were tough to beat."

Hall was asked about Koufax.

"Sandy could be beat," Hall said. "Not that often, but he could be beat. Mudcat Grant (against Washington in 1964) once threw a 13-hit shutout. Think about that. That's baseball."

Golf legend Arnold Palmer will be paired with fellow Hall of Famers Annika Sorenstam,Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley at the free admission 3M Championship "Greats of Golf" event Saturday at the TPC in Blaine.

Fellow legend Jack Nicklaus will be paired with Lee Trevino and Gary Player, and Johnny Miller, Dave Stockton and Tom Weiskopf will play together.

Johnny Bench, named at the recent major league All-Star Game in Cincinnati as one of the four greatest living baseball players with Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Koufax, will emcee a private dinner and parties at the 3M Championship.

Palmer, 85, will be flying in this Friday from his summer home in Latrobe, Pa., from the airport named for him. Until he turned 80, Palmer personally piloted his Cessna Citation 10 -- the fastest non-military jet in the world. But now he has other pilots.

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Palmer, winner of four Masters tournaments and two British Opens, is expected to be designated putter for his foursome in a scramble format at the 3M. He dislocated his left shoulder in a fall before last spring's Masters tournament, and the celebratory drive he hit on the first tee at Augusta National was his first swing in a long time.

"He was hurting when he hit that drive," said 3M Championship director Hollis Cavner.

"Arnold is still as sharp as ever. He can tell you what shot he hit on what hole in 1953, who the foursome was. He doesn't forget anything -- he's just amazing."

Cavner is among Palmer's closest friends and is the reason that he regularly attends the tournament in Blaine. Only Cavner and wife Catherine, two other couples and family members were invited to attend Palmer's private surprise 85th birthday party that wife Kit threw last September in Latrobe.

"Probably the coolest thing I've ever been to," Cavner said.

That was six-time Pro Bowl former Vikings center Matt Birk from St. Paul playing in the flag football game featuring QB Brett Favre at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., the other day.

"It was a lot of fun -- that's what us retired guys do," Birk said.

Birk, who turned 39 last week and is in St. Paul visiting family and friends, also celebrated his one-year anniversary as director of football development for the NFL in New York. He said he's enjoying the work.

"I can't believe it's been a year," Birk said. "To be able to work in the NFL is a special deal. I've learned a lot. It's like being a rookie all over again."

A Harvard grad and former Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens, Birk would seem a natural for consideration some day as NFL commissioner or head of the NFL Players Association.

"We'll see -- I just approach it like I approached football, just try to do my job and get better every day," he said. "Who knows where it will lead, what the future holds. That's the fun part of it. I never thought I'd play 15 years in the NFL."

Speaking of the NFL, former Wild president Tod Leiweke, who left Minnesota to become CEO of the Tampa Bay Lightning, will become the NFL's chief operating officer.

Former Wild sales-marketing VP Steve Griggs will succeed Leiweke as Tampa Bay's CEO.

Wild players Thomas Vanek, Nate Prosser and Ryan Carter will walk the red carpet at Sunday's Starkey Gala hearing fundraiser at St. Paul's RiverCentre that also will include former President George W. Bush and Katy Perry.

There's been talk about the possibility of lowering the rim from 10 feet to 9-1/2 feet for WNBA games, but Lynx general manager Roger Griffith says that hasn't been a conversation inside the league.

"I don't see it," Griffith said.

It's a baby girl, Remington Rae Konrad, for former Gophers NCAA wrestling and mixed martial arts champion Cole Konrad and wife Carly.

That's Jeff Nelson, the Park-Cottage Grove and Bethel University grad, umpiring the Twins-Yankees series at Target Field.

Former Cretin-Derham Hall point guard Joe Rosga, due to medical restrictions at Army, has committed to Denver University, where he'll be a freshman combo guard next season.

David Graham, who last week was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at St. Andrews and has won more than 40 professional tournaments, will speak at a Dunkers gathering Thursday at Interlachen Country Club.

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill speaks at a Dunkers breakfast on Aug. 6 at the Minneapolis Club.

Julian Loscalzo's Ballpark Tours has arranged for a trip to Cuba on Dec. 4-14, when participants will watch the country's national playoffs. Nearly 30 tourists have signed on for the journey that will depart from Miami, Fla., at a cost of nearly $4,000 apiece.

"What's more cultural than baseball, rum and cigars?" said Loscalzo, who resides in St. Paul and is a state capital lobbyist for nonprofit organizations. "This is going to be great."

Loscalzo, 63, has never visited Cuba.

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"But I will admit I've smoked plenty of Cuban cigars," he said.

One of baseball's good guys, Mark Hamburger, the former Texas Rangers major leaguer from Mounds View now impressing in the bullpen for the Twins' Triple-A Rochester club, has become a fan favorite in Rochester. The other day after a night game, after his teammates had left the field, Hamburger stayed for more than 40 minutes giving autographs.

Ex-Twins marketing whiz Patrick Klinger is blending his Patrick Klinger & Company with a firm owned by Maggie Romens, a former Gophers assistant rowing coach who is president of a brand marketing firm for professional athletes and coaches. The new company will be known as The Brand Enhancement Group, which will launch a speakers bureau for current and former athletes.

Kid to watch: Mendota Heights Somerset Elementary incoming third grader Sam Udovich, who is just back in town after finishing as the top American golfer (seventh overall) in the IMG Academy Junior World Championship in San Diego.

Udovich, who shot 69-62-63 on a 3,143-yard, par-63 course, won the U.S. Kids regional tournament in Jekyll Island, Ga., in March with a record 10-under-par, and this week heads to Pinehurst, N.C., to compete in the East Coast U.S. Kids World Championships.

The Twins' Rochester Red Wings on Saturday will hold a "Miracle On Ice" night for their baseball game against Syracuse, with 1980 USA Olympic gold medal hockey players John Harrington and Mike Ramsey set to make ceremonial first pitches.

Stephanie (Sware) Mauer, a former Gophers softball standout and wife of Billy Mauer, owner of Mauer Chevrolet, has had two surgeries on her right leg that three weeks ago was shattered when she was at a Play It Again Sports store in Woodbury with three sons (ages 5, 3, and seven months old) when a truck driven by a teenager crashed through the front window. Stephanie's recovery is expected to take at least a year.

Apple Valley, led by USA Under-16 basketball players Gary Trent Jr. and Tre Jones, plays Eden Prairie on Thursday in the Breakdown boys tournament at Maple Grove Junior High.

DON'T PRINT THAT

Teddy Bridgewater was better than expected during his rookie season as the Vikings' quarterback last year, and with running back Adrian Peterson returning with a restructured contract, tight end Kyle Rudolph healthy and the acquisition of wide receiver Mike Wallace, Bridgewater should continue to progress.

But if he doesn't?

The Vikings splash into their $1 billion stadium next year. If Bridgewater suffers a sophomore jinx this year, it will be interesting whether the team considers a veteran QB for 2016 as it did when it signed Brett Favre in 2009. Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, nearing the end of their careers, would seem likely targets.

The Vikings have begun training camp for a 50th year in Mankato. If the team ends up moving from its regular-season Winter Park training facility in Eden Prairie, for instance, to Eagan as part of a new development by real estate mogul-owner Zygi Wilf, it will be interesting whether the Vikings move from Mankato, too.

The majority of NFL teams now hold their training camps at their regular facilities.

Talks are finally starting to move for a new contract for reigning Big Ten football coach of the year, Jerry Kill of the Gophers, who ranks No. 10 in the conference in salary at $2.1 million.

The Twins have plenty of designated hitters, and it's a good bet Oswaldo Arcia, who is hitting .250 with nine home runs at Triple-A Rochester, will be included in trade talks before Saturday's deadline.

Eddie Wynne is the head golf professional at the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad course. After graduating from St. Thomas Academy, Wynne played at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hometown of Masters and recent British Open champion Zach Johnson.

Johnson played college golf at Drake University in Des Moines, but he wasn't the No. 1 player. Wynne, who never played against Johnson but was in Iowa for a year during Johnson's college career, was pleased by Johnson's victory at St. Andrews in Scotland.

"My understanding is that he would play anywhere from (No. 5 to No. 2 at Drake); there was guys on his team who were better," Wynne said. "But he just had the tenacity, worked his butt off to get better and got what he deserved. He's a wedge magician, one of the best in the business. The (British Open victory) was fun to see. He's come a long way and deserves everything he's got."

The Lynx and Janel McCarville, who is sitting out the WNBA season, will determine next year whether the former Gophers star will return to the team.

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Twins TV ratings are up three percent from last season, Forbes.com reports.

Look for Osseo middleweight boxer Caleb Truax's next fight to be in Florida in mid-September and nationally televised on cable.

OVERHEARD

Sam Mele, 93, who managed the Twins to their first World Series in 1965: "I had a great bunch -- Harmon (Killebrew), Camilo (Pascual), Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva. ... I didn't have any problems in my office because they took care of any problems for me."

Tom Powers: Twins' Eddie Rosario shakes up everybody when on base

Tom Powers | Pioneer Press | July 25, 2015

Eddie Rosario is just screwy enough on the basepaths to cause problems. Mostly for the other teams.

He's not the fastest Twin. He's not the most experienced. But give him the slightest opportunity and he will put his head down and screech toward the next unoccupied base. Sometimes that's good. Sometimes, well, not so much.

"He's daring, all right," general manager Terry Ryan said, a trace of amusement in his voice. "That he is. That's a pretty good description."

"I try for the extra base every day," Rosario said before Saturday's game against the Yankees. "I try for stolen base. Everything, I try. I play like that. Go hard."

Now, there is a fine line between aggressiveness and nuttiness. Fifteen years ago, young Torii Hunter was considered the epitome of controlled aggression on the basepaths. On the other end of the spectrum was Chad Allen, now a promising hitting instructor in the Twins' system. Allen ran amok during the late 1990s, causing manager Tom Kelly's hair to turn prematurely gray. He was like a runaway trolley car and just as dangerous.

Once, with the Twins trailing 5-1, Allen led off an inning with a single. He took his lead. And with the opposing pitcher looking right at him, he broke for second base. The pitcher simply ran over and tagged him between first and second.

Asked if he could recall a more aggressive base runner than Rosario, manager Paul Molitor smiled and said, "Chad Allen," which brought chuckles from the assembled press corps.

Then Molitor asked for clarification: "Are we talking about intelligent aggressiveness or just aggressiveness?"

We're talking about anybody other than Chad Allen.

"The thing about Rosario is that most of the time it's fairly sound," Molitor said. "A couple of times it's been outside the box. Most of the time it's been within the parameters of opportunity, you might say. And that's kind of what you preach.

"For the most part, he's an easy guy to communicate with about things. If you tell him something, he's going to think about it and he's going to see the logic in what you're trying to tell him and put it into his game as soon as he can."

That's how Molitor sees their conversations. This is what Eddie hears:

"He say to me, 'Eddie, run, run, go. Take the extra base. Take everything.' "

So if an outfielder hesitates for a fraction of a second, Rosario is around first and steaming toward second. If an infielder doesn't maintain an awareness, Rosario will race for the next base on any old ground ball. And he's constantly, tagging or bluffing a tag on shallow fly balls.

Ryan chuckled when Chad Allen's name came up. He noted that Rosario wasn't quite that far out there.

"But he'd be in the same area code," Ryan added.

Here's the thing: Rosario has made a real contribution to the resurgent Twins. How many other prospects were supposed to be ahead of him in the pecking order and how many have made a serious impact this season? Oswaldo Arcia, Kennys Vargas, Danny Santana? No, no and no. Alex Meyer and Trevor May, negative, even though both are 25 and approaching middle age for pitchers.

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Byron Buxton? Apparently, the kid is as fragile as a Faberge egg. Miguel Sano? We're waiting to see. But Rosario has been a Steady Eddie since getting called up in May, hitting .280 and playing solidly in the outfield. A couple of pitchers have mentioned to me how much they appreciate his efforts in the outfield. Of course, before Rosario they were looking at Arcia, who might as well put a bucket over his head while playing in the field.

Rosario didn't start Saturday night as Molitor loaded his lineup with righties against the Yankees' CC Sabathia. So he was spared the embarrassment of New York's epic comeback. But Rosario doesn't sit out many games.

"He's come up and done a nice job," Ryan said. "There's not been too many cracks in his game. He might go a game or two without doing much, then all of a sudden he'll jump up and hit three doubles. The one thing about him is he continues to give you pretty good defense no matter where you put him.

"He'll make a throw or he'll go get a ball or he'll do something on the other side of the ball that might give you a chance to do something positive in a game, even if he doesn't do it with his bat. He can run pretty well."

Yes, and he's a terror on the bases.

"Whatever happens, I play hard," Rosario said. "No problem."

Not usually, anyway.

Perkins' rare command lapse costs Twins Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | July 25, 2015 MINNEAPOLIS -- Not too many players swing at the first pitch they see from Glen Perkins in the ninth inning. But on Saturday night at Target Field, Alex Rodriguez did, and he watched the ball soar over the center-field wall to tie the game shortly before a second homer off the Twins' closer set the Yankees up for an 8-5 victory. After starting the season a perfect 28-for-28 in save opportunities, Perkins has blown two of his last three. Perkins blew his first save of the season last weekend and his second on Saturday, getting tagged for four runs. After Rodriguez's home run, John Ryan Murphy piled on with a three-run drive. Before Saturday, Perkins had given up just two home runs all season.

"I blew the one in Oakland, which was two outings ago," Perkins said. "I said then that it's more frustrating when I get an infield hit and a wild pitch and a bloop single and blow a game that way. That's the kind of little razor-blade cut, the slow paper cuts, whatever you want to call them. I got beat tonight because I didn't make good pitches, and that's an easier pill for me to swallow. It doesn't mean I'm happy about how I did, obviously, but it's part of the game. Hopefully, I'll get a chance tomorrow and can go out and do a better job."

Perkins, who struggled with location on Saturday, said he intended to throw a pitch up to Rodriguez, whose ninth-inning homer was his third of the game. Instead, it was down, and Rodriguez capitalized. Perkins recorded just two outs, giving up five hits.

"I threw everything in the wrong spot tonight," Perkins said. "I like to work my fastball up. They know it's going to be inside. They know what I'm trying to do. It's still really hard to hit if I locate it, and it's easier to hit pitches down. A-Rod dropped his hands. [Mark] Teixeira dropped his hands. If those pitches are where I wanted, I'm probably in a little better spot."

Twins manager Paul Molitor said it was possible that after having success for nearly the entire season, Perkins may have been shocked to see the game tied after throwing just one pitch. But Perkins said that wasn't the case, as Rodriguez had been swinging the bat well all night.

Still, Perkins had a chance to send the Twins to the plate with the score tied at 5. Instead, he kept missing his spots.

"You'd see the glove, you'd see the ball go somewhere else and then they'd whack it," Molitor said.

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As he did against Rodriguez, Perkins missed to Murphy, who delivered the decisive blow. Perkins threw a slider up and away, and Murphy made the most of it.

"There comes a point where if a guy's late on a fastball, he's going to try to catch up to it and when you throw him a slider, he's going to be ahead of it, so it comes down to execution," Perkins said. "And I think there were five guys tonight that I didn't execute pitches to, and they all got hits."

Unable to stop A-Rod, Twins stunned in ninth

Betsy Helfand & Bryan Hoch | MLB.com | July 25, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Alex Rodriguez celebrated the fifth three-homer game of his career, including a game-tying drive in the ninth inning, and John Ryan Murphy crushed a go-ahead three-run shot as the Yankees rallied for an 8-5 victory over Glen Perkins and the Twins on Saturday night at Target Field. Rodriguez hit a solo homer in the fourth and a two-run drive in the seventh off Minnesota starter Tommy Milone before hitting a line drive over the center-field wall on the first pitch he saw from Perkins in the ninth, giving him 23 homers in this improbable comeback campaign.

"I'm working hard. I'm healthy. I'm happy," said Rodriguez, who is two days shy of his 40th birthday. "I'm appreciating everything the game has to offer. Also, we have a really tight-knit family in here. It's a good, special feel that we have. Some people say that life starts at 40. I'll sign up for that right now." Murphy hit his first homer of the season later in the inning with Carlos Beltran and Chase Headley aboard, giving the Yankees their first lead of the night. It was Perkins' second blown save of the season after he had converted his first 28 opportunities.

"There's no greater feeling than looking in the dugout and seeing your teammates excited about something you just did," Murphy said. "That's the first thing I was looking for when I was rounding first base, looking back in the dugout and checking out what they were doing." Aaron Hicks and Torii Hunter homered off New York's CC Sabathia, who allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings. Milone allowed four runs over six-plus frames and did not permit a hit until the fourth inning, when Rodriguez launched a tape-measure drive off the facing of the upper deck in left field.

"It comes down to execution, and I think there were five guys tonight that I didn't execute pitches to, and they all got hits," Perkins said. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Call him Trey-Rod: Two days shy of his 40th birthday, Rodriguez is showing there is still plenty in his tank, slugging his 21st, 22nd and 23rd homers of the season. Rodriguez's first of the night was estimated at 480 feet by the Twins, which marked his third homer of 450 feet or longer this season. It was Rodriguez's first three-homer game since a contest against the Royals on Aug. 14, 2010, when he went deep off Sean O'Sullivan, Kanekoa Texeira andGreg Holland.

"I haven't done it in a long time," Rodriguez said. "Just to do it before my 40th birthday, to do it on the road and to do it with a big win -- but tonight was about a lot of guys." Rodriguez became the fifth-oldest fifth player in Major League history to hit three homers in a game, behind Stan Musial (41 years, 229 days), Jason Giambi (40 years, 131 days), Reggie Jackson (40 years, 123 days) and Babe Ruth (40 years, 108 days). More > Perkins has off night: Perkins began the season a perfect 28-for-28 in save opportunities, but after surrendering Rodriguez's third home run of night, he has now blown two of his last three save chances. Perkins had given up only two home runs all season before Saturday. "It seemed like to me it was mostly location that was giving him trouble tonight," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "You'd see the glove, you'd see the ball go somewhere else and then they'd whack it."

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Just not 'right': Sabathia's struggles against right-handed hitters this season have been well documented, and though the veteran southpaw hoped to have turned a corner his last time out, Saturday's effort suggested that he is still not there. Sabathia departed with the bases loaded in the sixth, and his line could have been worse if not for Adam Warren, who bailed the big lefty out by striking out Aaron Hicks looking. "I feel like I know we've got a good offense, and if I can keep us in the game, we've got a good chance of winning," Sabathia said. "Five runs is not good enough, but these guys came through." Twins turn to long ball: A night after hitting four home runs, the Twins hit two more, scoring all five runs via the homer. For the second time in as many games, the Twins took a first-inning lead with a two-run homer. In the third, Hunter widened the team's lead with a three-run drive to pass Kirby Puckett (207) for sixth on the Twins' all-time homers list. QUOTABLE "Seeing that my dad mentored him, it really is pretty cool to have him be the one because he used to take me under his wing when I was going through a lot. Having him pass him, I wouldn't rather have anybody else do it." -- Puckett Jr., on Hunter's milestone home run REPLAY REVIEW The Twins successfully challenged a play in the second inning, as a 58-second replay review overturned a call in which Carlos Beltran had been ruled safe on a ground ball to second base. The replay showed that Beltran's foot hit the first-base bag after Trevor Plouffereceived the throw from second baseman Brian Dozier.

The Yankees successfully challenged a call in the ninth inning that allowed Beltran to remain at first base on a fielder's choice. That review took one minute, one second. EJECTED Molitor was ejected after the bottom of the sixth inning by home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson for arguing balls and strikes as a result of Hicks' strikeout. It was Molitor's second career ejection as a manager. WHAT'S NEXT Yankees: Nathan Eovaldi (9-2, 4.43 ERA) will make his 20th start of the season on Sunday at 2:10 p.m. ET as the Yankees complete their three-game series with the Twins at Target Field. Eovaldi last pitched on Tuesday vs. Baltimore and took a no-decision, permitting two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He has never faced the Twins. Twins: Kyle Gibson (8-7, 3.19 ERA) will start Sunday's rubber match against the Yankees. The right-hander gave up six runs against the Angels in his last start, a loss, but he has been the Twins' most consistent starter all season. Molitor ejected for disputing strikeout call Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | July 25, 2015 MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Paul Molitor was ejected for arguing with home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson after center fielder Aaron Hicks struck out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning of Saturday night's 8-5 loss to the Yankees.

The usually mild-mannered Molitor was animated with Nelson. Hicks tried to check his swing, and Nelson rung him up without appealing to third-base umpire Laz Diaz for help, at Molitor's request.

"It was just one of those calls on an important play that I thought was close enough for him to ask for help on," Molitor said. "I don't think it was something that he had, probably, a very clear look at, not if he's concentrating on the pitch, but he thought he saw enough to call a swing. I just voiced my opinion that I thought it was too close for him to make that call, and that's why they have the appeal process. It kind of spiraled down from there." The Twins held a 5-1 lead at the time of Hicks' strikeout, but their inability to tack on may have cost them the game. The Yankees answered with three runs in the seventh and four more in the ninth off closer Glen Perkins to cap the comeback. The ejection was just the second of Molitor's managerial career. The first, which was also for arguing balls and strikes, came on June 10 after a Torii Hunter strikeout.

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"I was trying to make a case from the top of the dugout that I thought [Nelson] should have asked for help, and then he told me he couldn't hear what I was saying about five times, so I just went out there to tell him," Molitor said. "He said, 'You can't argue that.' I don't know if his intent was to try to get me out there so he could throw me out. You'd have to ask him that." Twins set Buxton's timeline; 1 month 'a stretch' Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | July 25, 2015 MINNEAPOLIS -- Just shy of a month after placing Byron Buxton on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb, the Twins have developed a plan for the rookie outfielder's return. Twins manager Paul Molitor said the "preliminary foundation," for the return was a bit drawn out. On Friday, Buxton, who entered this season as the No. 1 overall prospect on MLBPipeline.com's Top 200 list, fielded some balls in the outfield, both on the ground and in the air. He also took some swings underwater, a practice that general manager Terry Ryan indicated is not uncommon.

On Saturday, Molitor said Buxton would start doing tee work and flip drills in the next couple of days. After that -- by Thursday or Friday, Molitor hoped -- Buxton will take batting practice.

"We'll just see how he responds," Molitor said. "I think there's been some talk about him, potentially -- when he's ready, after the hitting is no longer an issue day to day, as far as pain -- getting down to Florida and getting involved with maybe some live BP situations down there. They have a lot of people that are involved with those types of things, as opposed to game situations. He can get a few days down there before we get him out to actually playing some rehab games."

Ryan said the Twins want Buxton to see pitching in Florida before they send him on a rehab assignment, but that the rookie's stay there wouldn't be very long. Though the club hasn't determined which affiliate Buxton would join for a rehab stint after that, Ryan said it's likely to be a lengthy assignment because Buxton hasn't played in so long.

"He needs to be challenged, so we're not going to send him to Class A Cedar Rapids or something like that," Ryan said.

Ryan said recently Buxton's pain had subsided, adding that the outfielder had seen an increase in flexibility and that Buxton, as a result of strengthening exercises, could be less than a month away from returning. Ryan said a return one month from now might be a "stretch."

"He's going to have to go down and get some hits and at-bats and play the game," Ryan said. "He's been out for, what, right now? One month. That's pretty lengthy, so we're going to have to ramp him up again and see how he does. " Worth noting • Molitor gave Joe Mauer a routine day of rest on Saturday. Mauer entered the day having played in 95 of the Twins' 96 games this season.

"Last year, in transition to first base [from catcher], he kind of had to learn a little bit about playing more," Molitor said. "This year, it's even gone to another level. Like anybody else, especially the veteran guys, you try and be mindful of recharging the batteries every now and then.” The timing of Mauer's break coincides with the Twins facing Yankees veteran CC Sabathia. Righties entered the day hitting .330 with 18 home runs off the big lefty, and Aaron Hicks hit No. 19 in the bottom of the first, so the left-handed-hitting Mauer sat in favor of a lineup stacked with only righties and switch-hitters.

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Gibson can answer Yanks' statement in finale Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | July 25, 2015 The Twins looked poised for a second victory over the Yankees in as many nights on Saturday, holding a five-run lead entering the seventh inning, but the Yankees clawed their way back, thanks in large part to Alex Rodriguez, whose third homer of the night was one of two hit off

Twins closer Glen Perkins in the ninth inning.

On Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT, the two clubs -- both currently in line to reach the postseason -- will face off in the rubber match at Target Field, where the Yankees have historically played well. New York is 72-36 against the Twins since 2000 and will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound looking to take the series.

The Twins will counter with Kyle Gibson, who has been Minnesota's best starter this season despite giving up six runs over five innings in his last outing. Gibson is 8-7 with a 3.19 ERA on the season and will try to keep the Yankees, a homer-hitting team, on the ground with his sinker.

Gibson will be making his fourth career start against the Yankees. In his first three outings against New York, he posted a 10.95 ERA, his highest against any team. In Gibson's last start against New York, last summer, he gave up six runs in two innings. Three things to know about this game:

• Eovaldi has given up three runs or fewer in 10 of his last 11 outings. However, he hasn't pitched past the fifth since late June, and he has pitched more than seven innings just once this season.

• Twins first baseman Joe Mauer received a routine day of rest on Saturday but entered as a defensive replacement late in the game. He is expected to be back in the starting lineup on Sunday.

• Yankees closer Andrew Miller, who closed out Saturday's 8-5 win, is 23-for-23 in save opportunities this season. Perkins, one of two closers with a longer consecutive-saves streak than Miller this season, saw his run come to an end at 28 games last weekend.

Molitor ejected, shows some fire after arguing checked swing

Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | July 25, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Paul Molitor was ejected from Saturday's game in the sixth inning for arguing with home plate umpire Jeff Nelson on a checked swing. It's the second ejection of Molitor's career. His first ejection as a manager preceded Torii Hunter's on-field tantrum in which Hunter took off his jersey and threw it onto the field in protest.

This time, Molitor's ejection wasn't the warm-up act, it was the main event.

Aaron Hicks was ruled out on strikes with the bases loaded and the Twins holding a 5-1 lead. Hicks attempted to check his swing on a full-count pitch out of the strike zone. Nelson ruled that Hicks had gone too far, so the home plate umpire called out Hicks on strikes, which ended the inning.

Molitor immediately was at the top step of the Twins' dugout and appeared to be pleading the case that the call was too close to make without consulting the third-base umpire.

Molitor then walked out to confront Nelson and was eventually tossed from the game after a few choice words. Molitor was visibly angry, which is a rare sight for the manager who often appears calm and calculated.

"Just kind of a strange scenario," Molitor explained after the game. "It was one of those calls on an important play that I thought it was close enough to ask for help on. I don't think it was something that [home plate umpire Jeff Nelson] had probably a very clear look at -- not if he's

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concentrating on the pitch. But he thought he saw enough to call it a swing and I just voiced my opinion that I thought that it was too close for him to make that call. And that's why they have the appeal process. And it kind of spiraled down from there," Molitor said.

Molitor ordinarily doesn't let his emotions bubble to the surface like he did Saturday. He suggested, without directly stating it, that Nelson may have enticed him into a confrontation.

"I don't want to belabor it. It was puzzling in that I was just trying to make the case from the top of the dugout that I thought he should have asked for help," Molitor said. "And then he told me he couldn't hear what I was saying about five times. And so I just went out there to tell him and he said, 'You can't argue that,' and then he threw me out.

"So I don't know if his intent was to try to get me out there so he could throw me out but you'd have to ask him that. That's kind of how it unfolded in my eyes," Molitor said.

Twins sign free agent pitcher Michael Bowden, assign him to Rochester

Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | July 25, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins have signed right-handed pitcher Michael Bowden and assigned him to Triple-A Rochester.

Bowden will be a starter for the Red Wings, Twins GM Terry Ryan confirmed Saturday.

Bowden, 28, had good numbers this year for Triple-A Norfolk. He pitched mostly out of the bullpen, but also made nine starts this year for the Tides, where he was 7-2 with a 1.91 ERA and a 52:20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 75 1/3 innings pitched. He held opponents in the International League to a .219 batting average and made the Triple-A All-Star game. Then he exercised an opt-out clause in his contract, according to Dan Connolly of the Balitmore Sun. "He had an out in his contract and we and we had some interest in him. We can use a starting pitcher so we went and signed him," Ryan said Saturday.

Typically those out clauses in contracts come into play when a player signs a minor league contract and wants some assurance he'll be considered for a Major League job if one becomes available.

Ryan said he didn't believe the deal they struck with Bowden includes such a clause, although Ryan acknowledged that he's not the one that did the contract, so he suggested it's possible.

If Bowden pitches well, he could be a candidate for a September call-up, when rosters expand to allow more than the usual 25 players in the Majors. Ryan made it clear there was nothing that assures Bowden will be on the active roster by September.

"No promises. We don't give promises. We make 'em earn [a promotion]," Ryan said. "No promises around here."

The newest member of the Red Wings has joined the team on the road, according to Red Wings' radio play-by-play announced Jos Whetzel.

Rodriguez hits 3 home runs, Yankees fly past Twins, Perkins in 9th

Associated Press | July 25, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Alex Rodriguez hit three home runs in a game for the fifth time in his career and keyed a ninth-inning rally against All-Star closer Glen Perkins, sending the New York Yankees over the Minnesota Twins 8-5 Saturday night. The Yankees trailed 5-0 early. Rodriguez hit Perkins' first pitch for a tying homer, and John Ryan Murphy later connected for a three-run shot.

Rodriguez hit a 452-foot solo homer in the fourth and a 422-foot drive that made it 5-3 in the seventh. His 424-foot homer in the ninth cleared the center field wall.

A-Rod clapped as he trotted around first base after each homer while fans at sold-out Target Field booed. The last time Rodriguez hit three home runs in a game was Aug. 14, 2010, at Kansas City.

Rodriguez has 23 homers this season and 677 in his career. He is now 6 for 10 lifetime against Perkins with two home runs.

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With one out and runners on first and third, Murphy hit a 2-2 pitch from Perkins into the flower bed over the right-center field wall.

Perkins (0-2) didn't blow a save chance before the All-Star break, but is 0 for 2 since then. He had allowed just six runs all season before the Yankees tagged him for six.

Adam Warren (6-5) pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief of CC Sabathia. Andrew Miller worked the ninth for his 23rd save.

Torii Hunter hit his 208th career home run with the Twins, passing his mentor Kirby Puckett for sixth in team history and giving Minnesota a 5-0 lead in the third.

Aaron Hicks also homered to give the Twins a 2-0 lead off Sabathia in the first.

Chase Headley's sacrifice fly cut Minnesota's lead to 5-4 in a three-run seventh.

Sabathia was pulled after walking Brian Dozier to load the bases in the sixth. Warren struck out Hicks on a check swing to end the threat, prompting Twins manager Paul Molitor to protest from the dugout and get ejected by plate umpire Jeff Nelson.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Twins: Minnesota hopes injured CF Byron Buxton (thumb) can start taking batting practice late next week. From there, general manager Terry Ryan said Buxton will head to Florida to continue rehabbing before going out on an official rehab assignment in the minors.

UP NEXT

Kyle Gibson (8-7, 3-19) will try to lower his career 10.95 ERA against the Yankees in Sunday's series finale. The Yankees will start Nathan Eovaldi (9-2, 4.43), who is 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA in his last six starts.