Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Miguel Sano starts at first base, Twins win series opener 3-1 over White Sox. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1

Twins notes: Brian Dozier has done his homework and is ready to run more. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2

Miguel Sano gets a tutorial at first base; Buxton still contributing. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 3

Minnesota Twins improve to 4-0 behind Phil Hughes, Miguel Sano. Pioneer Press (Bernardino ) p. 4

Minnesota Twins give Miguel Sano his first career start at first base. Pioneer Press (Bernardino ) p. 5

Twins’ Brandon Kintzler: From Vegas Yard Dawg to big-league closer. Pioneer Press (Bernardino) p. 6

Twins relievers aim to bond over road dinners. MLB (Bollinger) p. 8

Leather goods: Twins outfield comes up big. MLB (Bollinger) p. 9

Rhett Bollinger and Scott Merkin. MLB (Rhett Bollinger and Scott Merkin) p. 10

Are batters guessing more? Twins’ Paul Molitor says yes. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 10

Twins get key hits, outs to sweep Royals. MLB (Bollinger) p. 11

Castro states case with decisive knock. MLB (Bollinger) p. 12

Hughes ready to face Holland, White Sox. MLB (Bollinger) p. 13

Haley arrives on scene with dad still en route. MLB (Bollinger) p. 13

Twins edge White Sox, move to 4-0 for first time since 1987. Fox Sports p. 11

Miguel Sano starts at first base, Twins win series opener 3-1 over White Sox Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 7, 2017

CHICAGO – Byron Buxton struck out all four times he came to the plate Friday night. He also might be the reason the Twins are off to their best start in three decades. The slumping outfielder tracked down a pair of near-certain extra-base hits at the base of the center-field wall during Phil Hughes’ shaky first inning, turning a possible four- or five-run inning into one harmless run, and the Twins came back to earn a 3-1 victory over the White Sox. The victory improved the opportunistic Twins to 4-0 for the first time since 1987. Yeah, that season ended in a dogpile in the Metrodome, but let’s not get too crazy. For now, the Twins, coming off a record 103 losses last season, are just enjoying their unexpected stretch of timely hitting, strong pitching — and especially that stellar outfield defense. “We might have won it with defense in the first inning, particularly [by] our center fielder,” manager Paul Molitor said after the Twins won their first road game of the season for the first time since 2009. “It’s hard to imagine [Buxton] almost outran a ball that got to the wall very quickly.” It’s pretty easy to imagine what might have happened if he hadn’t. Hughes, pitching for the first time since an inning-ending knee fracture last June, gave up three singles and two 400-foot blasts to the first six batters he faced. What might have been a disaster instead turned into a tidy one-run inning, because Buxton raced back 75 feet to make warning-track catches both times. “Once I took off, I put my head down, and kind of lost the ball,” Buxton said. “When I looked back up, I saw it out of my peripheral [vision]. … Pretty tough catches, but right now I’ve got to do what I’ve got to to help us out. I ain’t swinging the bat so good, so I have to take as many hits away as I can to help us out until I get back my swing.” Buxton is off to a 1-for-18 start with a major league-leading 11 strikeouts, but there aren’t any pitchers on the Twins staff who would complain.

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“He’s great. If you keep the ball in the yard somehow, he’ll track it down,” said Hughes, who collected his first victory since last April 18. “That was a game-saver in the first. That was probably the turning point there, and fortunately I was able to settle in and make some pitches.” Buxton wasn’t the only one, either. Eddie Rosario jumped at the wall to make a difficult catch in the left-field corner, and Max Kepler dove for a run-saving catch at the foul line to end the fifth inning. Thanks to the defense, Hughes lasted six innings and retired 13 of the final 14 hitters he faced. The Twins weren’t sure what to expect, but Hughes put to rest any doubts about his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome. “It seemed like things got easier as I went along,” he said. Things are pretty easy for Miguel Sano these days, too — even a new position. The third baseman made his first career start at first base, and while it was new to him, he was Same-Ol’-Miguel at the plate. With the score tied in the sixth inning, Sano won an epic at-bat against White Sox starter Derek Holland, fouling off five pitches before crushing a 3-2 delivery to the wall in right-centerfield, a blast that scored Robbie Grossman from first base with the go-ahead, and ultimately game-winning, run. “He threw me a lot of breaking balls. I was trying to be ready for a fastball,” Sano said. “He finally throws me a fastball inside, and I was way out ahead and hit it foul. He throws me another fastball, and I stayed on it.” “It was a great at-bat,” Molitor said. “Miggy’s at-bat was a huge at-bat in the game, just to foul off as many pitches as he did. He stayed on that ball 3-2 and used the whole field.” Twins notes: Brian Dozier has done his homework and is ready to run more Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 7, 2017

CHICAGO – Brian Dozier successfully stole 18 bases last year in 20 attempts. He was safe in his last 10 thefts of the season. And he went home … unsatisfied. “Every year, especially the past couple, I always look back and [say], ‘Why haven’t I done more on the base paths?” the Twins leadoff hitter said Friday. “I kind of want to take it to another level.” So far, that level is one a game, at least in the first three. Dozier swiped a pair of bases Wednesday, then another one Thursday, all off Royals Gold Glove catcher Salvador Perez. Wait, that’s not right, Dozier corrected. “You don’t steal bases off a catcher, you steal them off the pitcher,” he said. And that’s his secret, Dozier said. He spent spring training testing slightly longer leads, and he’s doing more homework on each pitcher he may stare at from first base. “Everything I do is calculated. It’s not just go to be stealing. I know the times of every single pitcher, and I know when I can’t make it,” he said. “I’m not going to give away that I’m going to be stealing every time. But for the most part, I’m going to try to be more aggressive.” That’s OK with manager Paul Molitor, who has essentially given Dozier — who has now successfully stolen second base 13 consecutive times — permission to run whenever he likes. “He was really aggressive this spring. I think he was trying to prove he could still lead off,” Molitor joked. “He’s not our fastest guy, but he’s more adept than anybody else at knowing what he can do, knowing how to find an edge, and picking the right time to go. Good judgment, good instincts, good breaks.” New bullpen tradition Dinner was over and the check had come. Pitchers in the Twins bullpen put their credit cards into the middle and had the waiter draw one out. But there was a problem. The waiter came back moments later and told Taylor Rogers … what exactly? “I have no comment on that,” Rogers said Friday, trying not to laugh. Yes, the Twins pulled a prank on their young lefthander Thursday, convincing the steakhouse waiter to present Rogers with a comically inflated bill of several thousand dollars and the news that his card had been declined. It wasn’t until he called his bank to try to raise his limit, another

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pitcher said, that they let him know it was all a joke. Welcome to the bullpen dinner, a new tradition Twins relievers intend to conduct in every city on every road trip this season. “This bullpen is a really tight-knit group. We like being around each other. It’s going to be a fun year, and we just want to keep picking each other up,” said Ryan Pressly, in his fifth season with the Twins. “We’re kind of caged out there together, so you’d better get comfortable being around each other. We want this to be a family.” Twins relievers went to dinner a couple times last year, but with the addition of veterans Matt Belisle and Craig Breslow this year, and the emergence of Brandon Kintzler as the closer, there are leaders who see the benefits of functioning as a unit. “The camaraderie you feel out there, it helps everyone,” Rogers said. “We’re all rooting for each other.” Well, until the check comes. Castro’s night off Molitor chose to bench one of his hottest hitters Friday, giving catcher Jason Castro the night off while Chris Gimenez caught Phil Hughes. Part of the reason was that Chicago had lefthander Derek Holland on the mound, but partly it was because Molitor doesn’t want to put too much stock in three games. Yes, Castro is 3-for-6 with six walks entering Friday, but “you try the best you can to not get too wrapped up in momentum, in how a player’s playing,” Molitor said. “Chris hasn’t gotten a start yet. I thought it was a good matchup to catch Phil.” Gimenez delivered a single to center in his first at-bat, too — his first hit in April since 2012. Miguel Sano gets a tutorial at first base; Buxton still contributing Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 7, 2017 CHICAGO — A couple of quick notes from yet another Twins victory: Paul Molitor grabbed a glove during batting practice Friday and held an impromptu review of the fundamentals of playing first base for Miguel Sano. They worked on footwork around the bag, when to stretch for a throw, and how quickly to move away when holding runners. With ByungHo Park and Kennys Vargas in the minors, Sano is now Joe Mauer’s backup at first base, at least for the time being. It’s a position he’s played for only five innings in the majors, four of them in an extra-inning game in 2015, and one on Wednesday. Friday was his first career start at the position. Molitor didn’t play Sano there during spring training because “I didn’t want to clutter his mind, as he tried to lock into being our third baseman.” He probably also didn’t expect both Vargas and Park to be sent down. But Molitor is optimistic that Sano can handle the position. “He’s in a good place. He’s had good at-bats, and I think he’s feeling good about his game,” Molitor said. “The timing seems right to give it a shot.” Sano said he enjoyed the experience, and even the tutorial. At his size, he knows first base is probably in his future, but only, he hopes, after several seasons at his preferred position of third base. “It’s fun. I like it,” Sano said after the game. “I know how to play it, so it’s OK. I’m never nervous.” XXX Byron Buxton was very matter-of-fact about it: I’m not hitting. It’s been a tough week for the third-year outfielder, who had hoped to get off to a fast start after a strong September last year. But four games in, all at the third spot in the batting order, he is 1-for-18 with 11 strikeouts. “I ain’t swinging the bat so good,” he said.

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He’s unlikely to lose his spot in the lineup anytime soon (though it’s possible he might be moved down in the order), because his defense has been as spectacular as ever. Two great running catches on Friday turned 400-foot missiles to the warning track into two more outs that most outfielders couldn’t have made. Buxton was busy all night; he caught eight fly balls, tying his career-high. But he wasn’t the only one displaying great defense. Max Kepler raced to the foul line and made a diving catch of Tim Anderson’s sinking liner in the fifth inning. And Eddie Rosario leaped at the left field wall to haul in Todd Frazier’s near-home run in the sixth. How good can the Twins’ outfield be? “The sky’s the limit,” Buxton said. “We’re very competitive out there. We want to catch everything. I’m very blessed to have those two by my side.” XXX — In addition to the 4-0 start, the Twins are now 1-0 on the road for the first time since 2009. — With two innings from Tyler Duffey on Friday and another save by Brandon Kintzler, the Twins’ bullpen has thrown 13 innings now without allowing a run. The Orioles are the only other bullpen with zero runs allowed this year. Minnesota Twins improve to 4-0 behind Phil Hughes, Miguel Sano Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 7, 2017

CHICAGO –The last time the Twins started a season with four straight wins, they raced all the way to the 1987 World Series title, the first in Minnesota franchise history. No one is predicting October glory yet for this group, not coming off a 103-loss debacle, but Friday night brought another round of encouraging developments in a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. Fresh off a three-game home sweep of the Kansas City Royals, the Twins rode six solid innings from veteran right-hander Phil Hughes (1-0) and a go-ahead double by Miguel Sano in the sixth. Twins center fielder Byron Buxton struck out in all four trips, dropping him to 1 for 18 (.056) with 11 strikeouts, but he got Hughes going with a pair of highlight catches in the first. “That was a game-saver there, a couple of catches to make that inning not as bad as it could have been,” Hughes said. “That was probably the turning point there. If you keep the ball in the yard somehow, he’ll track it down.” Those plays allowed Hughes, making his first regular-season start in just over 10 months, to survive a rocky start that included three straight singles. Given that reprieve, Hughes retired 17 of his last 19 batters en route to his first victory since last April 18. “That’s what I’m supposed to do,” Buxton said. “I’m supposed to go out there and catch the ball and get us back in the dugout.” Meanwhile, 2,000 miles west in Sherman Oaks, Calif., Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey was getting his first in-person look at high school right-hander Hunter Greene. Projected to go no worse than second overall on June 12, Greene was reportedly humming his fastball at 96-98 mph. The last time the Twins held the No. 1 overall, they took a St. Paul high school catcher named Joe Mauer in 2001. Mauer wasn’t in Friday’s lineup, but the Twins still found a way to rally once again. Playing in front of an announced crowd of 14,004 on a blustery night on the South Side, they tied the score on a pair of White Sox errors in the fourth, including Avisail Garcia’s clumsy drop of a Sano pop up in shallow right field. Newcomer Chris Gimenez, capping a two-hit night, ripped a run-scoring double for a key insurance run in the seventh. The White Sox challenged the runner placement on a fan-interference call, but a hustling Eduardo Escobar was ruled to have scored all the way from first. Converted starter Tyler Duffey and closer Brandon Kintzler, despite a pair of ninth-inning walks, handled the final nine outs to run the bullpen’s season-opening scoreless streak to 13 innings.

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After struggling early to command a fastball that mostly stayed in the 89-91 mph range, Hughes increasingly leaned on an assortment of off-speed offerings as his night wore on. In addition to his cutter, he mixed in a reliable knuckle-curve and a much-improved changeup. “I was fighting myself little bit the first inning, hoping to establish my fastball,” Hughes said. “After that I just said, ‘I’m going to rely on my off-speed and make them beat me that way.’ ” Coming off a nightmare season in which he went 1-7 with a 5.95 earned-run average, Hughes is determined to show his career won’t be derailed by a June 9 line drive that fractured his leg and rib-removal surgery to repair thoracic outlet syndrome. Hughes later benefited from two more outstanding outfield plays: Max Kepler’s sprawling, run-saving catch on Tim Anderson’s drive into the right-field corner to end the fifth and Eddie Rosario’s leaping grab of Todd Frazier’s high fly to the wall in left in the sixth. “Not many outfielders you know can do that all over the outfield,” Buxton said. “I’m very blessed to have those two by my side. To go out there every day with them, that makes me a lot more comfortable out there.” Besides the 1987 edition, four other Twins teams started at least 4-0: 1968 (6-0), 1979 and 1970. The 1970 team also went to the postseason, winning 98 games and getting swept in three games by the Baltimore Orioles. Minnesota Twins give Miguel Sano his first career start at first base Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 7, 2017 CHICAGO — Twins third baseman Miguel Sano had played just six total big-league innings at first base before getting his first career start there Friday night. With ByungHo Park projected to break camp with the Twins, Sano hardly even took grounders at the position this spring. “Only in (pitcher’s fielding practice),” Sano said. “That’s OK. It’s easy.” Starting first baseman Joe Mauer, getting his first rest of the season against Chicago White Sox lefty Derek Holland, spent a few minutes with Sano during batting practice, giving him a primer on how to stretch for errant throws and the like. Sano played one game at first in the minors, in 2012 at Class A Beloit in the Midwest League. “At the start of camp I really didn’t think there was much of a need to consider that,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “I didn’t want to clutter his mind early as he tried to lock into being our third baseman.” With Sano off to a fast start at the plate and coming off a successful one-inning stint at first in Wednesday’s blowout win, Molitor opted to move him across the diamond. “He’s in a good place,” Molitor said. “He’s had good at-bats. I think he’s feeling good about his game. He’s feeling good about playing third, but I think the timing seems right to give it a shot.” Eduardo Escobar, who homered Wednesday, got the start at third. MEJIA TIME As he prepared for Saturday afternoon and his first big-league start, rookie lefty Adalberto Mejia stuck close to fellow Dominican Ervin Santana. The two sat talking at their neighboring lockers in the visiting clubhouse, and later they continued their conversation at a table while watching iPad video of the lefty hitters in the White Sox lineup. “He wants to learn,” Santana said. “He listens. He works hard. That’s why he’s with the team. He goes to the ballpark and runs and works out and all that. He has a good mentality.” While Mejia, 23, made a single relief appearance for the Twins last August, he is still getting a grasp on the mountain of data and video now available to him as a major leaguer. With Santana’s help, he is learning to cull the necessary information rather than let himself get

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overwhelmed. “I think the biggest thing is just go out there and pitch with what you have,” Santana said. “If it’s your slider working that day, just pitch with that. It’s not that you always have to be aware of the videos. Just go out there with what you got.” Speaking through a club translator, Mejia spoke recently about what he’s learned this spring from watching his countryman. “I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is the way he handles himself, on and off the field — the way he goes about it,” Mejia said. “He’s a veteran. He knows what he’s doing.” SITTING CASTRO Another tough call for Molitor was giving backup catcher Chris Gimenez his first start of the year while taking red-hot catcher Jason Castro out of the lineup. “No question,” Molitor said. “Jason’s had a great initial three games here in a Twins uniform. You try the best you can not to get too wrapped up in momentum and how an individual is playing. You consider it.” The Twins, who faced Kansas City Royals lefty Danny Duffy on Opening Day, also are scheduled to face lefty starters on Sunday (Jose Quintana) and Tuesday in Detroit (Matt Boyd). A .194 career hitter against lefties, Castro had walked in half his 12 plate appearances this season entering Friday. He also had a double and three runs batted in. BRIEFLY Right-hander Kohl Stewart started the opener Thursday for Double-A Chattanooga and gave up an unearned run on three hits and three walks over six innings. The 2013 first-rounder struck out just one batter in his 86-pitch outing, recording eight outs through the air and, surprisingly, just five on the ground. Escobar remains the Twins’ emergency catcher, Molitor confirmed, despite having yet to appear there in a game since reaching the majors in 2011. Escobar, who pitched last August, has played seven positions in the majors; he also has yet to get a shot at first base. Twins’ Brandon Kintzler: From Vegas Yard Dawg to big-league closer Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 7, 2017 he team was called the Yard Dawgs, and everyone involved in youth baseball in the Greater Las Vegas area back in the mid-’90s knew about them. “We were dominant,” said Twins closer Brandon Kintzler, who played for the program from ages 10 to 12. “This was when travel ball first started. This was way before Perfect Game and people paying for their kids to go play in some showcase.” Organized and coached by established baseball agent Kevin Kohler, whose client list included Twins left-hander (and current bullpen coach) Eddie Guardado, the Yard Dawgs would pile into their parents’ vans and trucks and travel hundreds of miles in search of the best competition. At one point they joined a Pony League in Orange County, Calif., driving back and forth through Death Valley just to play games on Wednesdays and Saturdays. At first the California parents complained, but soon they were making the same drive to Las Vegas so their own kids could play home-and-home series with the Yard Dawgs. In addition to top instruction that included big-league closer Rick Aguilera, with whom Kohler played high school baseball in West Covina, Calif., there were no annual participation fees, thanks to local business sponsors and a group of generous parents. “I kind of had my pick of the town,” said Kohler, whose son Garrett, a former Texas Rangers scout, played on the team. “I wasn’t picking the best kids, necessarily. I was picking parents.” It was against this backdrop that Rick Kintzler took his undersized son out to the city-run field for an unscheduled tryout. A no-nonsense type who ran a mobile oil-changing business, among other ventures, the elder Kintzler didn’t mince words when he sidled up to Kohler before practice.

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“Hey, I heard about this team; you need my son on this team,” he said. “He’s really good.” Kohler, staring straight ahead as he watched warmups, kindly explained that the roster was full for the season. Suddenly, a ball went flying past with an unmistakable fury. It was little Brandon Kintzler, playing catch. “I hear this, ‘Whoooosh!’ and I’m like, ‘Holy heck, is that him?’ ” Kohler recalled. “He’s got a curveball, too,” his dad said. “Don’t worry about it,” Kohler said. “He’s on the team.” THE BIG BREAK More than two decades later, Kohler and Kintzler are still together, agent and client, but above all friends. Their association has survived Kintzler’s long-and-winding road to Minnesota, which included a pair of junior colleges; a pair of draft-and-follow selections in the 40th round; shoulder surgery and release from the San Diego Padres system in 2006; and parts of three seasons in the independent Northern League, including 14 games with the St. Paul Saints in 2009. “I’d given up,” said Kohler, 56. “Brandon would call me and say, ‘I think I’m going to come home. They don’t even use me. I’m done.’ I had to beg Winnipeg to pitch him (in the Northern League). I mean, I had to beg. One day, they finally got mad at me and traded Brandon to the Saints. I was like, ‘Thank you!’ ” It was in the spring of 2009 that someone involved with casting a movie project based on Michael Lewis’ bestselling book “Moneyball” approached Kintzler and asked if he’d be interested in a bit role as former Oakland A’s pitcher Tim Hudson. He referred the person to Kohler, who quickly worked out a deal that would have ended Kintzler’s season and potentially his pitching career. He was 24 and making $500 a month pitching for an indy-ball team. Maybe this would be the start of a new career. Shortly before shooting was set to start that summer, Kintzler called Kohler in a panic and asked him to cancel the contract. He’d been selected to start the Northern League All-Star Game, an event that actually might attract more than a handful of part-time scouts. “Forget the all-star game, Brandon,” Kohler remembers telling him. “Come on. You’re 5-foot-10 pitching indy ball. Go do your movie. You never know. You might meet somebody.” Kintzler never wavered. He wasn’t ready to give up his dream. “No, Kevin,” he said. “I’m throwing good. I’m getting signed out of this all-star game.” Kintzler faced six batters, struck out five and signed a minor-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers the next day. Fourteen months later, he was in the big leagues. “He never gave up,” said Kohler, who once counted former Twins outfielder Matt Lawton among his 100-plus clients. “He was going to be a big-leaguer somehow.” COACH GUARDADO Now 32 and coming off a 17-save breakthrough season with the Twins, Kintzler has long since proved the point his father was trying to make on that Las Vegas youth diamond. With a live arm, competitive spirit and a natural sink on his two-seam fastball, the journeyman find closed out the Twins’ first Opening Day win in nine years and is in line to shake hands many more times as three-time all-star Glen Perkins of Stillwater works back from major shoulder surgery. That Guardado, who used to give occasional pep talks to the Yard Dawgs when he was in town, is his bullpen coach only makes this unlikely story of persistence that much sweeter for Kintzler.

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“Eddie always talked about hard work,” Kintzler said. “I was 10 when I first met him. That always stuck with me, forever.” As did some other words and concepts atypical of the youth-league handbook. “Especially coming from that guy,” Kintzler said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Geez, are all major leaguers rude like that?’ ” The high-intensity environment of the Yard Dawgs was just what Kintzler needed to jumpstart his baseball career after an early dalliance with Motocross RACING. When he wasn’t pitching, he would serve as the team’s catcher, and there were many times when his contributions led to championships along the youth-ball trail. “I used to bring him in to pick people off third base,” Kohler said. “I tried to tell the Twins: ‘You know, Brandon can pick guys off for you.’ They were like, ‘Wow, he really is good at that.’ ” Having an agent as his youth coach may have been a bit unorthodox, but Kintzler enjoyed the experience. “Kevin called the pitches,” Kintzler said. “If he wanted us to throw a slider, he’d tell us to throw a slider, but other than that we just had a lot of talented guys on that team. He really didn’t have to teach much. He was more the guy that put the roster out there.” And HE knew enough to let Rick Kintzler’s undersized kid pitch some of the Yard Dawgs’ biggest games. “I was pretty small,” Kintzler said. “I was always smaller, but I still had a good arm. I was just a young kid that just threw bullets.” Asked how close Kintzler’s dad came to blowing a spot with the Yard Dawgs for his son, Kohler laughed. “Really close,” he said. “I don’t like parents. If I hadn’t seen Brandon throw the ball, I would have said, ‘I don’t want anything to do with this kid. I don’t want that dad around.’ ” The arrangement worked out far better than expected. “His dad and I get along good now,” Kohler said. “When Brandon first got called up, I called Rick and said, ‘You finally don’t have to tell anybody how good your kid is anymore.’ “ Twins relievers aim to bond over road dinners Rhett Bollinger | MLB | April 7, 2017 CHICAGO -- While the Twins' new front office embraces analytics, they also value leadership and chemistry, and it's one reason they signed veteran relievers Matt Belisle and Craig Breslow. Belisle, 36, and Breslow, 36, have both served as leaders and mentors to their fellow relievers since Spring Training, and with the help of closer Brandon Kintzler, the bullpen is looking to start a tradition this year, dining together as a group in each road city. "We started doing it a little bit last year, but I think this year we're really going to take advantage of it," right-hander Ryan Pressly said. "It obviously depends on if you have family in town or something like that, but we want to have a bullpen dinner in every city we go to. That's what we're trying to do to get closer to each guy. We want this to be a family." It started Thursday night in Chicago, as all eight relievers attended dinner at a local steakhouse, and had fun at lefty Taylor Rogers' expense, as they played a game of credit-card roulette that was rigged to have Rogers lose, with the waiter bringing out a fake bill with an outrageous price. Rogers fell for the prank, only for Belisle and Breslow to split the real check, and was just an example of the kind of fun they're trying to have this season after losing 103 games last year. "Everybody is just having fun right now," Pressly said. "There's no pressure in this clubhouse. Everyone is really loose. It's not like last year, when everything was tense and guys weren't talking to each other. Now when you go out there, it's just about having fun." The bullpen was key in Minnesota's three-game sweep over the Royals, tossing 10 scoreless innings, including Pressly coming in to get out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in Thursday's 5-3 win.

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"You can't ignore the fact that we've called on these guys on different times with different combinations and they've been effective," manager Paul Molitor said. "I think it adds to your confidence when you go on a little bit of a run and they feed off each other." Worth noting • Left-hander Ryan O'Rourke, on the 10-day disabled list with a left forearm strain, has yet to start his throwing program. He still has minor discomfort in his forearm, but hasn't suffered any setbacks, according to general manager Thad Levine. • Closer Glen Perkins, on the 60-day DL after undergoing labrum surgery, threw a bullpen session Wednesday and played long toss Thursday. • Infielder Ehire Adrianza, on the DL with a right oblique strain, is expected to start swinging a bat this weekend, and if that goes well, he'll be ready for game action, but he is likely to go on a rehab assignment. Leather goods: Twins outfield comes up big Rhett Bollinger | MLB| April 7, 2017 CHICAGO -- A young and athletic outfield featuring Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario came up with its own slogan, saying nothing falls but raindrops. There were no raindrops at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday night, but nothing else seemed to fall in either, as all three made impressive defensive plays to help back right-hander Phil Hughes in a 3-1 win that helped the Twins to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1987. Buxton's defensive presence was felt immediately with a pair of impressive catches at the wall in the first inning to rob Tyler Saladino and Cody Asche of extra bases. "That was a game-saver there in the first," Hughes said. "A couple catches that made that inning not as bad as it could've been. That was the turning point there." Saladino crushed an 0-1 cutter a projected 396 feet, but Buxton raced back to make a diving catch for the first out of the game. Saladino's drive had a catch probability of 76 percent, making it a two-star play, per Statcast™. Buxton had 6.1 seconds to cover 114 feet on the play. "That's going to happen -- that guy can fly, cover ground," Saladino said. "Credit to him getting there to those balls." Buxton's second catch was even better, and likely saved two runs, as Asche's ball had a catch probability of 63 percent, making it a three-star play. Buxton had 5.1 seconds to go 92 feet and covered 95 feet. "They were pretty tough catches but I'm just trying to do what I gotta do to help us out," Buxton said. "I'm not swinging the bat well, so I'm just trying to take away as many hits as I can. The second one was a little trickier." Kepler actually made the best play of the game, statistically, and his catch saved at least one run, and potentially more, with the speedy Tim Anderson lacing a sinking liner down the right-field line. Kepler raced 76 feet in 4.5 seconds for a 58 percent catch probability, making it a three-star play. "That ball was tailing away from him but he ran hard and made a great play," Hughes said. "I was helped by tremendous defense tonight." For context, Buxton and Kepler both make three-star plays look routine, as Buxton was 19-for-21 on three-star opportunities last year and Kepler was 13-for-17. Rosario also helped Hughes with a leaping catch at the warning track on a deep drive from Todd Frazier to end the sixth, although the ball hung up in the air, giving Rosario plenty of time to make the play. "All the outfielders were involved," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Byron in the first and Kep with that diving catch on the ball tailing away toward the line. And Frazier's ball, which I didn't think he hit that well, but he's a strong man. Rosie seemed like he had it the whole way and jumped at the last second." Timely hits, great D lift Twins to 4-0 on season Rhett Bollinger and Scott Merkin| MLB | April 7, 2017 CHICAGO -- Phil Hughes, making his first start since June 9 of last season, allowed one run over six innings and the Twins won their fourth straight to start the 2017 season with a 3-1 victory over the White Sox Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. It's the Twins' first 4-0 start since they won the first four games of their 1987 World Series championship season.

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Hughes missed the final four months of the '16 season after undergoing surgery due to thoracic outlet syndrome. He allowed three hits with one out in the first inning, including Jose Abreu's RBI single, but was almost untouched from that point forward. Hughes fanned three and didn't issue a walk. "Especially with the starts we've gotten off to the last few years, a 4-0 start is a step in the right direction," Hughes said. "For me personally, I felt like last year was tough, mentally and physically. So I'm happy to start off this year on a good note." The White Sox could have gained early control of this contest if not for great Twins' outfield defense. Byron Buxton, who plays a shallow center, took away extra-base hits from both Tyler Saladino and Cody Asche in the first, a frame in which the White Sox scored once. The hit probability on Saladino's blast was 71 percent and it jumped to 82 percent on Asche. The catch probability was 76 percent and 63 percent, respectively. "We might've won it with our defense in the first inning, particularly our center fielder," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "The first play of the game and with two outs making that catch he did. It's hard to believe he outran that ball and got to the wall so quickly." In the fifth, Max Kepler made a diving catch near the right-field line on Tim Anderson's two-out bid for extra bases. If the ball had gotten by Kepler, the speedy Anderson had a chance for an inside-the-park homer. It had a catch probability of 58 percent. Derek Holland made his debut for the White Sox and was solid over 6-plus innings. He struck out five and walked one, hitting 94 mph with his fastball, but allowed three runs (two earned) and took the loss. "It was a good first start, a good way to get things going," Holland said. "I did everything I could. The guys were out there battling and making plays. Next time we just have to finish. That's what we will do." Minnesota has outscored its opponents by a 24-6 margin to start the season. The bullpen has yet to allow a run in 13 innings. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Timely hitting: There wasn't a great deal of offense for either team Friday, but Minnesota got the hits when it needed them. With one out in the sixth and the game tied at 1-1, Miguel Sano laced a double off of Holland to right-center and scored Robbie Grossman with the go-ahead run. Grossman opened the inning with a single and had two hits on the night. "It was a great at-bat," Molitor said. "Just to foul off as many pitches as he did. He stayed on that ball on 3-2 and used the whole field." E-9: Minnesota might have saved this contest with its airtight outfield defense, but a big defensive miscue by right fielder Avisail Garcia cost the White Sox in the fourth. With Grossman on third and one out, Sano hit a fly ball to right that didn't appear deep enough to score the run. Garcia moved on it, while first baseman Abreu and second baseman Saladino raced out, but the ball hit Garcia's glove and fell to the ground for an error, allowing the game-tying run. It was Garcia's second missed catch of the year and had a 98 percent catch probability per Statcast™. "Actually Avi got to the ball," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "it just deflected off of his mitt or he snow-coned it a little bit. He ran a long ways and just dropped it." QUOTABLE "I don't think he's too worried about that, neither am I. I think that those two plays, the play today, and the play the other day he lost the ball right off the bat, it was in twilight. That happens. They happen to be in consecutive days, but I'm not worried about his defense." -- Renteria on Garcia SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Buxton's catch to end the first and Kepler's catch to end the fifth were both rated as three-star plays by Statcast™. For context, Buxton and Kepler both make three-star plays look routine, as Buxton was 19-for-21 on three-star opportunities last year and Kepler was 13-for-17. REPLAY REVIEW The White Sox lost a challenge in the seventh, when Chris Gimenez doubled down the left-field line with Eduardo Escobar at first, but a fan interfered with the ball. Escobar, though, was awarded home by the umpires, as it was deemed he would have scored, despite the interference, and the White Sox challenged the play, only for it to be confirmed.

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WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Rookie left-hander Adalberto Mejia is set to make his second career start Saturday against the White Sox at 1:10 p.m. CT. Mejia surprisingly won the competition to be Minnesota's fifth starter with a strong spring. White Sox: Miguel Gonzalez makes his season debut for the White Sox. His start was moved back by a day due to Wednesday's postponement with the Tigers. First pitch for the right-hander is 1:10 p.m. CT, as the White Sox play their third day game out of four 2017 contests. Twins edge White Sox, move to 4-0 for first time since 1987 Fox Sport | April 7, 2017 CHICAGO — Phil Hughes found his old form after getting plenty of help in the first inning. Hughes pitched six strong innings for his first win in almost a year and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Friday night for their first 4-0 start since 1987. Miguel Sano hit an RBI go-ahead double in the sixth, and Chris Gimenez added an RBI double in the seventh for the Twins, who led the majors with 103 losses last season after opening 0-9. “To be 4-0 is a big step in the right direction,” Hughes said. “For me, personally, I feel like last year was tough, physically and mentally, to get through that, so I’m happy to start this year off on a good note.” Hughes (1-0) made his first start since June 9, 2016, and allowed one run and five hits, struck out three and walked none. The right-hander’s season was cut short last year after he suffered a broken bone above his left knee and underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. Hughes last won in a rain-shortened game on April 18, 2016, against Milwaukee. He was 1-7 last season. But Hughes’ 2017 debut might have been short-lived if not for center fielder Byron Buxton. Buxton made a pair of long running warning-track catches in the first inning. He robbed leadoff hitter Tyler Saladino of extra bases with a catch against the wall. With runners on first and second, Buxton robbed Cody Asche of extra bases to end the inning. “That was a game saver there in the first,” Hughes said. “A couple of incredible catches today and make that inning not as bad as it could have been. That was probably the turning point there. Fortunately, I was able to settle in and make some better pitches after the first.” The vibe is already different for Hughes and the Twins. “Especially with the start we’ve gotten off the last few years,” he said. In the fifth, Max Kepler made a diving catch on the right-field foul line to save a potential extra-base hit by Tim Anderson. Tyler Duffey pitched two scoreless innings of relief, and Brandon Kintzler pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save. Kintzler ran into trouble with two outs in the ninth after consecutive two-out walks, but retired Jacob May to end the game. The Twins bullpen has not allowed a run in 13 innings this season. After eight seasons with the Rangers, Derek Holland (0-1) made his White Sox debut and pitched six-plus innings, allowing three runs – two earned – and four hits. He struck out five and walked one with a hit batter. “It was a good first start, way to get things going. I’m glad it’s over with, too, the first start with a new team,” Holland said. Sano cut the right-center gap with an RBI double to score Robbie Grossman from first in the sixth to give the Twins a 2-1 lead. Holland has lost his last four decisions. He exited after a leadoff walk in the sixth inning for Nate Jones, who was greeted by Gimenez with a ground-rule double to left. Trailing 1-0, the Twins took advantage of two errors by the White Sox in the fourth inning. Grossman doubled to right and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt to second by Holland. Grossman then scored when right fielder Avisail Garcia dropped Sano’s pop up.

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Anderson singled, stole second and scored on Jose Abreu’s single in the first inning. REBOUNDING ON THE ROAD Twins manager Paul Molitor has an idea of what it will take for the Twin to be more productive on the road this season. “It’s just about everything we worked on in spring. I don’t care if we’re in Chicago or … It doesn’t matter,” he said. “We’ve got to pitch better and catch the ball better and compete better in the (batter’s) box, all those things we’re trying to get these younger plays to understand that allow you to hopefully corner some kind of consistency to your game.” TRAINER’S ROOM Twins: LHP Ryan O’Rourke is still working out the inflammation in his elbow before he begins a throwing program. O’Rourke is dealing with a strained left elbow. He’s eligible to return April 9, but it doesn’t sound as though he’ll be able to return next week. He will likely need to spend some time on a minor-league rehab assignment before he returns. UP NEXT Twins: RHP Adalberto Mejia, 23, will make his first career start on Saturday. He made five relief appearances and started one game in the spring for the Twins. He allowed three runs in 14 1/3 innings. Mejia appeared in one game for the Twins in 2016. White Sox: RHP Miguel Gonzalez is scheduled to make his first start of the season on Saturday. He was 0-1 in the spring with a 4.32 ERA in three games. He was 5-8 with a 3.73 ERA last season.