Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Twins fall flat in forgettable home opener loss to Kansas City. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1

Seven games in, Twins offering little hope. Star Tribune (Scoggins) p. 3

When Twins went to bullpen, Royals began licking their chops. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 4

Twins not playing Molitor baseball. Star Tribune (Hartman) p. 6

Twins relievers turn close game into rout. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 7

Are the Twins really this bad? Star Tribune (Sinker) p. 9

Tom Powers: Gloom settling in early for Twins fans. Pioneer Press (Powers) p. 10

Former Twin Kendrys Morales has been an early hit with Royals. Pioneer Press (Greder) p. 10

Twinsights: Ricky Nolasco (elbow) plans to play catch on Wednesday. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 12

Twinsights: How close did Royals come to landing Torii Hunter?. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 12

Twinsights: Ervin Santana long-tossing, pointing toward extended spring. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 13

Twinsights: No grand entrances for Twins GM Terry Ryan at home opener. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 14

Twinsights: Bob Casey and Torii Hunter team up again with Twins. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 14

For first time, Torii calls Target Field home. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 15

Twins fall to red-hot Royals in home opener. MLB.com (Bollinger & Flanagan) p. 15

Fielding miscues costing Twins this season. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 16

Undefeated Royals turn to Volquez vs. Twins. MLB.com (Flanagan) p. 18

Fien available for Twins after testing shoulder. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 19

Defensive frustrations mount for Twins. Fox Sports North (Mason) p. 19

Royals spoil Twins' home opener. Associated Press p. 20

Zulgad: Twins’ play in home opener provides a sickening feeling. 1500espn.com (Zulgad) p. 21

Wetmore 5 thoughts: More sloppy fielding, May’s debut, Plouffe’s lead. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 22

Mackey: The manifesto of bad Twins pitching acquisitions. 1500espn.com (Mackey) p. 23

Hunter says he ‘came close’ to signing elsewhere before choosing Twins. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 27

Twins fall flat in forgettable home opener loss to Kansas City

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 13, 2015

The sunshine was glorious Monday, the atmosphere exhilarating inside every-seat-taken Target Field. As Opening Day announces, spring has

arrived.

But the Twins are stuck in a blizzard of bad baseball.

The Kansas City Royals, at 7-0 baseball’s last remaining unbeaten team, looked every bit the AL champions they are, while the last-place Twins

looked like, well, a team lucky to be 1-6. Kansas City outlasted starter Trevor May, then feasted on a tattered Twins bullpen to roll to a 12-3

victory at a sold-out Target Field.

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The home-standing Twins were as bad as last week’s road-kill version, with a quiet offense, an oh-no defense and relief pitching that was more

dangerous to the Royals’ life and limbs than their bats. More than 40,000 paid to see it, but Monday’s game — the worst loss among the Twins’

55 home openers — probably didn’t send anyone hustling to the box office for more.

“We’re not pitching particularly well, we’re not fielding particularly well, we’re not swinging the bat particularly well, and we’re probably not

managing particularly well,” manager Paul Molitor said, not the greatest sales pitch for the remaining 80 home games. “All these things we’ve

got to try to do better.”

He’s got a point: The Twins have allowed 45 runs this season and scored 16, and both numbers are the worst in the major leagues.

It’s the fourth consecutive season that the Twins have disappointed their Opening Day crowd, but at least the pregame festivities were enticing.

Kevin Garnett waved to the crowd and lobbed a first pitch, Duke championship hero Tyus Jones soaked in the day’s biggest ovation, and Torii

Hunter tipped his helmet to a crowd that stood and cheered his first at-bat after seven years away.

But after the flags and eagles and F-16 fighters were gone, the game inevitably began, and that’s when the Twins’ promotions couldn’t save

them. Kansas City scored single runs in the second and third innings, erupted for three more in the sixth to spoil Trevor May’s day, then piled on

six more against four Twins relievers in an ugly eighth inning. Heck, they even scored a run off seldom-seen closer Glen Perkins.

Trevor Plouffe homered off Royals starter Danny Duffy, and Brian Dozier doubled twice and scored both times. But Duffy retired 14 of 15 hitters

at one point, and easily kept Kansas City unbeaten into the season’s second week.

“They’re playing like we’re supposed to,” Plouffe said. “Like we know we can.”

Surely that faith is being tested now. The Twins’ lack of defense is particularly galling for a team that devoted extra hours to fielding practice in

spring training. The mistakes have piled up all week, and the comfort of home didn’t change things Monday. Dozier flipped a ball underhanded

to Danny Santana, preventing a double play. Hunter threw a ball wildly toward the infield, allowing runners to move up. Oswaldo Arcia dropped

a fly ball on the run, Danny Santana bobbled a grounder that cost a run and Kurt Suzuki committed a passed ball that cost another.

“We play defense with pride. But it’s been bad — these first seven games have been bad,” Plouffe said. “We know we’re going to get better, but

we definitely have to clean things up.”

So does the bullpen, if the eighth inning was any indication. Tim Stauffer retired five of the first six hitters he faced, but then a single and a four-

pitch walk to open the eighth just ignited more trouble. Brian Duensing hit Alex Gordon with a pitch, and J.R. Graham hit Alex Rios to force in a

run.

“I don’t think I was nervous. Just couldn’t find the plate today,” Graham, whose pitches reached 96 miles per hour, said after his first major

league home game. “That’s pitching.”

It is for the Twins these days. By the time the inning was over, the Royals had scored six runs on only two hits. The bullpen has allowed 17 runs

already, more than the Twins offense has scored, and it’s a particularly depressing contrast to the Royals: Their pen has pitched only three

fewer innings but has yet to allow a run.

So what’s the solution to the Twins’ multitude of problems? “You rely on your experienced players to rise above it,” Molitor said, “because

adversity is part of this game.”

Hunter, the Twins’ oldest player, agrees. Only one problem.

“It’s tough to relate [any wisdom],” he said, “because I [stink], too.”

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Seven games in, Twins offering little hope

Chip Scoggins | Star Tribune | April 13, 2015

The Twins clubhouse Monday resembled the dramatic scene from the movie “Titanic” when musicians played their instruments amid chaos,

hoping to distract paying customers from doom and gloom.

Don’t panic, long season, Twins players said. One bad week of baseball doesn’t make a season, they cautioned.

“To get down on ourselves right now would be ridiculous,” Trevor Plouffe said.

That’s a well-worn viewpoint when a baseball season starts in the gutter, and the Twins are clinging to the “small sample size” notion like a

security blanket.

Forgive the rest of us for feeling a little queasy.

The first seven games have been truly bad baseball in every way imaginable. Butchered defense, shoddy pitching, feeble hitting — all of which,

combined, adds up to a 1-6 record.

It’s one thing to lose. It’s something else entirely to lose like this.

“We’re not pitching particularly well, we’re not fielding particularly well, we’re not swinging the bat particularly well, and we’re probably not

managing particularly well,” manager Paul Molitor said.

Thanks for coming folks. Drive home safely.

The home opener captured all the goriness. Twins fans booed, mocked and finally headed for the exits long before the final out of a 12-3

shellacking at the hands of the Kansas City Royals at Target Field.

Days like Monday are supposed to be joyous occasions, a time to celebrate the start of a baseball season and temporarily forget about four

consecutive 90-loss seasons.

That lasted a good five minutes.

The Twins treated their beleaguered fans to — in Torii Hunter’s perfect summation — “Bad News Bears” baseball.

All that was missing was Coach Buttermaker drinking beer in the dugout.

By the end, their performance became slapstick. The Twins, that is. They hit batters on two consecutive pitches by two different relievers and

then botched a ground ball in the six-run eighth inning

The Twins have trumpeted their “attention to detail” ad nauseam since Molitor replaced Ron Gardenhire as manager. Here’s an idea: How

about showing some attention to catching the ball?

Their defense has been an adventure the first week of the season. Dropped popups, missed cutoffs, bobbled grounders.

They had four, five misplays in the field Monday. Oswaldo Arcia dropped a popup along the line for a hit.

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Brian Dozier squandered a chance at a double play when he made a long, soft flip to shortstop Danny Santana on the bag rather than deliver a

hard throw.

Hunter missed a cutoff on a wild throw to second on a double over his head, allowing a run to score. Arcia missed a catch at the wall on the next

batter.

Santana had a grounder bounce off his glove with the bases loaded in the eighth inning.

The Twins’ pitching is worrisome enough without the comedy of errors taking place behind them.

“We need to do a better job of playing baseball,” General Manager Terry Ryan said before the latest debacle.

Molitor has taken a patient, optimistic approach with his team since becoming manager. He believes in the power of positivity, apparently even

on days like Monday.

The miscues and unreliable pitching might be turning his stomach into knots, but he said he’s not willing to blow a gasket yet.

“I haven’t really seen a lot of things that in my mind are worthy of reprimand, if that’s the direction you’re trying to go,” he said.

That would be a quick, easy answer, but their problems run deep. This team has revealed so many warts in seven games that fans justifiably feel

angry.

Yes, a baseball season is long and seven games is a small sample size. But the Twins have exhausted every ounce of goodwill and benefit of the

doubt the past four summers, and so an awful start rightfully gets viewed with skepticism and dread.

“We had a lot of things happen the first week,” Ryan said. “All heck broke loose.”

The home opener did nothing to make anyone feel better. Bad baseball is bad baseball, no matter when it happens in a season.

When Twins went to bullpen, Royals began licking their chops

Patrick Reusse | Star Tribune | April 13, 2015

The Twins have become savvy over the past quarter-century when it comes to giveaways to the customers for the home opener. On Monday,

they offered 40,000 dark blue hoodies with Twins emblazoned across the front.

Those were purchased in bulk and delivered at a cost of $175,000, and were quite an upgrade on what was handed out in the 1990 opener at

the Metrodome.

On that night, the Twins gave away printed material for a credit card company. Midway through the game, fans were distracted by the ease

with which the Twins were defeating the Angels by an eventual score of 13-1.

An aeronautical expert in the upper deck turned his placard into a paper airplane. There was a cheer when the plane made it to the Dome’s turf,

and soon the announced audience of 37,975 had hundreds of those projectiles flying under the Teflon sky.

Monday, the sky was a splendid blue and the temperature was just right — nice enough in the sun to feel warmth, cool enough in the shade to

be comfortable in the new hoodie.

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This was the sixth opener since the return of outdoor baseball, and the crowd was counted at an overcapacity 40,123. In less than three hours,

the Twins lost 12-3 to Kansas City, and demonstrated the disparaging remarks aimed at them during the season-opening road trip might have

been overly kind.

There was nothing given away to float on the brisk wind and toward the field, so the attendees responded to this abomination with jeers, boos

and catcalls.

Yes, there were enough misplays by the home team that all three were required.

“I don’t know what we played,” Torii Hunter said. “Bad News Bears baseball.”

Kelly Leak, Timmy Lupus and the Aguilar brothers could consider suing Torii for defamation, if they weren’t fictional ballplayers.

The only fiction with the 2015 Twins would appear to be the idea that this could be the club to end the streak of 90-loss seasons, which

currently stands at four.

It was that bad Monday … the worst loss by score in the 55 home openers the Twins have played, and worse than that aesthetically.

The misplays started when second baseman Brian Dozier, the Twins’ only Grade A defender, made a long flip rather than a throw and blew a

double play in the third inning. The Royals took a 2-1 lead.

Trevor May, in the Twins’ rotation after all, held it there until the sixth. The Royals opened with a single and a double to right, from where

Hunter came up throwing to no man’s land and it was 3-1.

Eric Hosmer followed with a drive to left-center. Observers of Oswaldo Arcia’s outfield play knew it wouldn’t be caught; rather, the hope was

that he wouldn’t hurt himself. It went as an RBI double, and Ozzie survived to make a diving catch on Kendrys Morales’ drive toward the gap.

May exited after an intentional walk, down 4-1. And now here it was for Twins fans: BT — Bullpen Time.

All in all, it might be less gruesome to see lambs turned into chops.

Tim Stauffer was first, followed by Brian Duensing and J.R. Graham. The Royals scored six runs off that trio in the eighth, with a boost from

shortstop Danny Santana playing footsie with a routine bouncer.

Eventually, it took bullpen ace Aaron Thompson to end the carnage.

Advisory to Thompson: Don’t let that “bullpen ace” deal go to your head, son. It’s not high praise with this collection.

The loss put the Twins at 1-6 … seven games in which they have been outscored 45-16. Somewhere, Ron Gardenhire is smoking a cigar, bowling

a line and saying to himself, “I’m getting paid for this? Terry Ryan, I love you.”

The Twins have been 1-6 on two previous occasions: in 1981 and in 1994. The 1981 season was interrupted with a two-month players strike.

The 1994 season came to an end with a players strike that started on Aug. 12.

Paul Molitor was playing for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1981, and he was a defending World Series champion with the Toronto Blue Jays in

1994. Now he’s managing the Twins, and when he could use a little labor strife, there’s none in sight.

“There are 155 games left,” Hunter said, one game after reminding reporters it wasn’t time to panic because there were 156 games left.

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Agreed. Now is not the time to panic over the Twins. The time to panic was when Ryan, the baseball boss, told his new manager, “Here’s your

bullpen.”

Twins not playing Molitor baseball

Sid Hartman | Star Tribune | April 13, 2015

It certainly isn’t time to give up on the Twins after seven games, but to date it’s hard to understand how a team could play so well in spring

training, finishing 13-16 and in the top half of the American League standings, and then kind of forget all of the fundamentals they worked on.

Defense wasn’t a problem in spring training, but it certainly has been during the regular season. The hitters aren’t producing like they were

while getting ready for the season in Fort Myers, Fla. And as for the pitching, the Twins have allowed at least 10 hits and four runs in six of their

seven games.

The Twins knew they would have a tough early schedule and have to face a number of teams in the AL Central, which might be the best division

in baseball. They have only three games in the month of April outside the Central, and those come against Seattle, a World Series contender. So

the Twins have had a tough start, losing all three games at Detroit, going 1-2 with the White Sox and losing 12-3 to the Royals on Monday. The

2014 division winners pounded 13 hits off starter Trevor May and the bullpen, while the Twins were held to only seven hits.

But in going 1-6 to date, it is the worst start even in the previous four years when they were 3-4 in the first seven games in 2011, 2-5 in 2012, 4-

3 in 2013 and 3-4 last year. In each of those seasons, the Twins lost between 92 and 99 games.

It certainly wasn’t a Paul Molitor-type of baseball game Monday. In the sixth inning, Torii Hunter made a bad throw from right field to let in a

run. In the eighth, Alex Gordon and Alex Rios of the Royals were hit by pitches by Brian Duensing and J.R. Graham, and shortstop Danny

Santana booted a ground ball that allowed a run to score. The Royals’ 5-3 lead mushroomed to 11-3.

“That inning wasn’t pretty by any means, obviously we’re trying to contain and stay in the game,” said Molitor, who managed h is first home

game. “A lot of things that I thought we were doing well coming out of Florida, we haven’t obviously translated into how we’ve performed here

this first week. You know collectively defensively we’re making mistakes, throwing the ball around a little bit, not hitting the cutoff man, all

those kinds of things. But you’re right, the hit batsmen, I was just going to use Duensing there for one batter and bring Graham in, and a couple

pitches later they had a run on the board and it turned into a big inning.”

Was this team playing better in spring training?

“We had all positives down there,” Molitor said. “I’ve been around enough to know you don’t want to be overly fooled by what transpires down

there, but there were a lot of encouraging signs as far as pitching, defense, the way guys were swinging the bats. You start off a little bit rough

and people have a natural tendency to start pressing a little bit. So as a staff, it’s my job and our coaches’ job to try and get these guys to

perform up to their capabilities, and so far we really haven’t seen a lot of that.”

What does Molitor think has to be done to fix some of the fielding and defensive errors?

“I would say when you misfire from the outfield, [they are] physical mistakes but they should be correctable at this level. Obviously these guys

are talented and have played awhile,” he said. “We’re just not making plays. We’re not pitching particularly well, not fielding particularly well,

we’re not swinging the bat particularly well, we’re probably not managing particularly well. So all those things we have to try and be better.”

Does he think it’s just a case of players starting to press a little bit after a rough start?

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“I think that is probably the case,” Molitor said. “You can go up and down the line and talk to individuals about how they feel about that, but

you rely on your experienced players to kind of rise above that because adversity is a big part of this game. Teams get tested, sometimes early,

sometimes in the middle, sooner or later everybody gets tested to some degree when you play that many games, and for us it has been early.”

Jones relishes title

Tyus Jones, who threw out the opening pitches at the Twins game along with the Wolves’ Kevin Garnett, really had his relationship with Duke

teammates Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow start in 2012 when the former Apple Valley star played with them for Team USA in the FIBA U-17

World Tournament in Lithuania. That USA squad would go 8-0 and win the gold medal.

Then, after being involved with Okafor in other basketball competitions, Jones says they made their decision to play together in college in

November 2014, when Okafor’s Whitney Young high school team out of Chicago faced Jones and his teammates in a game played at Apple

Valley. That decision paid dividends as the two led Duke to a national championship in their freshman season.

Jones said that right now, while rumors swirl about his decision to either return to Duke or enter the NBA draft, he is simply happy to have won

the national title. “Just enjoying the moment right now, celebrating a national championship and that’s all I’m doing right now,” he said.

Does he think he has enough talent to play in the NBA next season?

“That’s what we’re trying to decide,” he said. “I mean, you have to have confidence, every time you step on the court. That’s what it’s about. I’m

very confident in myself and my abilities, but we’ll have to decide if that’s the best route for me.”

While Jones makes his decision, several mock drafts think he is ready. NBADraft.net has him as the No. 17 pick, going to Milwaukee.

Draftexpress.com has him going No. 21 overall to Toronto.

Jones has been dating Gophers volleyball player Alyssa Goehner since high school. Goehner, who went to Lakeville North, was the Star Tribune

Metro Player of the Year in volleyball in 2012 and 2013.

Jottings

• The Twins had an Opening Day crowd of 40,123, the 153rd sellout in Target Field history and also the largest Opening Day crowd since April 8,

2011.

• The Royals are hitting .327 as a team and are undefeated at 7-0. Kendrys Morales, the former Twin who was traded to Seattle in the middle of

last season, is hitting .414 with two home runs and five RBI out of the No. 5 spot. … The Twins are hitting .197, but the good news is that first

baseman Joe Mauer seems to be healthy and hitting better, leading the team with a .292 average.

• Michael Cuddyer is playing left field for the New York Mets and is batting cleanup. … Al Newman, the former Twins third base coach and

infielder, is managing the Alexandria Blue Anchors in the Northwoods League.

Twins relievers turn close game into rout

La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | April 13, 2015

Twins righthander Trevor May didn’t pitch as badly as his line suggested Monday. But the bullpen sure earned every digit of theirs.

No area of Twins baseball can be absolved right now, and their home opener against the Royals was an exercise in all-around awfulness. But

Monday’s game offered more early evidence that the pitching staff has issues.

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The staff ERA at start of the day was 5.88 — last in the majors — and soared to 6.52 when Twins pitchers gave up 10 earned runs to the only

undefeated team in baseball. The afternoon was punctuated by the Royals’ six-run eighth inning, during which the Twins used four different

relievers. The bullpen was a playpen on Monday.

This might play into manager Paul Molitor’s thinking down the road: May, called up to replace the injured Ricky Nolasco in the rotation, wasn’t

that bad Monday. He threw first-pitch strikes to 10 of the first 16 batters he faced. He was unpredictable with his pitches and was mostly

around the plate. And he busted some hitters inside. Through five innings, May had thrown only 55 pitches and the Twins trailed only 2-1.

Then May gave up a single to Mike Moustakas to start the sixth. Then a fastball down the runway was powered into the right-center field gap by

Lorenzo Cain — who has become an offensive threat — to score Moustakas. May can’t be blamed for Torii Hunter throwing to no one in the

field, allowing Moustakas to score and Cain to advance to third.

Eric Hosmer doubled to left-center on a ball a good outfielder catches — but Oswaldo Arcia just missed.

Kendrys Morales, who homered off May in the second, lined out. The sound of May’s pitches off the Royals’ bats told Molitor it was time for the

young righthander to have a seat.

“The third time around, [the Royals] started to have better approaches and the contact was a little bit more consistent,” Molitor said.

May felt he had “a bunch more left in the tank,” but the ball was turned over to the bullpen.

“I just looked at matchups and tried to keep the game within striking distance,” said Molitor, who pulled May after 78 pitches.

Tim Stauffer, whose fastball was in the mid-80s during spring training, is now up to 88. He finished the sixth and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh but

gave up a single and a walk to start the eighth. Molitor went back into the bullpen, with horrific results.

Brian Duensing hit one batter all of last season and two in 2013. But his second pitch, a two-seam fastball, hit Alex Gordon in the right leg to

load the bases. So be it for lefty-on-lefty matchups.

J.R. Graham, the Rule 5 draft pick who throws 96 miles per hour, entered the game and hit Alex Rios with his first pitch, forcing in a run.

“I wasn’t trying to hit him on purpose, but it is part of the game,” Graham said. “You have to bounce back and get after more people. I need to

bail them out after something like that.”

That didn’t happen. Graham did get Salvador Perez to hit a grounder, but shortstop Danny Santana bobbled it for an error as another run

scored. Then there was a two-run single by Alcides Escobar, a passed ball, a walk to load the base and a walk to force in a fifth run. The Royals

added a sacrifice fly to complete a six-run inning that had the sellout crowd fleeing for the exits.

The Twins searched around the league for bullpen help toward the end of spring training. They knew what was coming. They might have to

shuttle arms between here and Class AAA Rochester, but they know what they have down there.

First-year pitching coach Neil Allen will be challenged to get the most out of a bullpen that has a Rule 5 draftee, two relievers learning a new

league and few power pitchers.

As for Molitor, he might be tempted in the future to leave May in the game next time and give him a chance to clean up his own mess. Because

letting that bullpen door open has not been the answer.

“As a bullpen we don’t ever want an inning like that,” Duensing said. “It was a big part of the ballgame. We were still in it. We had a good

chance to shut them down and maybe get some momentum, but we let the floodgates open.”

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Are the Twins really this bad?

Howard Sinker | Star Tribune | April 13, 2015

I wrote in my last post that the Twins aren't as bad as they played in Detroit and I'll update that by saying they're not as bad as they have played

so far, even with Monday's astoundingly atrocious loss in the home opener.

They simply can't be that bad because if they were six-games-out-of-seven loss bad, the Twins would finish the season with 139 losses. Even if

things don't improve much, chances are they won't lose many more than 100.

The list of troubles so far in the first week is pretty amazing, all the more because some of them directly relate to areas that were in such need

of improvement coming into 2015:

*The bullpen is a mess. The combination of who was retained and who was picked up hasn't quite worked. Mrs. 219 has already paraphrased

the movie 'Pretty in Pink' when she sees Blaine Boyer make an appearance: "Blaine? That's a major appliance. That's not a pitcher!" That's what

you say about a guy who has (a) pitched for six teams in his last five major league seasons, not including a two-year sabbatical from the majors;

(b) put 12 men on base while getting nine outs in four appearances.

*On the bullpen, it's reasonable for Manager Paul Molitor to expect relievers to pitch more than one inning. I'm not convinced of the wisdom to

let Tim Stauffer come out for a third inning, which was the start of Monday's eighth-inning bullpen meltdown. It's tough enough for a pitcher to

inherit a tough situation with runners on base. It's even tougher with the pitchers Molitor has to work with.

*Speaking of Molitor, a couple of first-week moves left me queasy. One came on Sunday when he chose to bring in Boyer, after three poor

outings, in the bottom of the eighth when the Twins were trailing only 3-2 in Chicago. Two singles and a home run later, it was 6-2. On Saturday,

letting the overmatched Jordan Schafer and Shane Robinson bat (and take called third strikes) in the top of the ninth (in a one-run game)

against White Sox closer David Robertson was close to a concession statement, all the more with Kurt Suzuki and Eduardo Nunez were on the

bench.

Yes it would have taken some realignment in the bottom of the ninth if the Twins had scored (Danny Santana to center field, Nunez to

shortstop, Chris Herrmann from catcher to left field and Suzuki behind the plate), but letting them both bat was ugly.

*Speaking of ugly, there's no way you can reassure me about the Twins outfield defense. Good plays need to be made. But so far there have

been bad routes, misplays on balls that would have been caught by better outfielders (Think those employed by Kansas City Royals) and the

ultimate lowlight of Torii Hunter's bouncing, rolling throw-to-nobody on Monday that looked like his hand had been pricked by brambles

attached to the ball when he finally retrieved Lorenzo Cain's double.

You didn't need advanced defensive metrics to know the Twins were going to struggle with outfield defense. But pretending that everything was

going to be all right was a spring training disservice.

*The dropping Eduardos. Nunez dropping a fly ball on Sunday followed by Escobar dropping a pop-up didn't result in the White Sox scoring in

the second inning. But it meant that Phil Hughes needed to throw extra pitches, which likely made for an earlier exit for the staff ace. Giving

away outs is always an issue.

*We could spend a lot of time on the lineup. I won't, beyond saying the Twins would stand a better chance of winning right now if Santana went

back to center field and Escobar was the first-call shortstop.. Santana, who booted a grounder during Monday's troubled eighth, would be set

back in his development at shortstop. But keeping him there with the current roster has a Timberwolves-like tinge to it.

And if Joe Mauer's close-to-.400 on-base percentage is going to be fed by singles and walks, let's get him batting second and Brian Dozier third,

OK?

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And while I'm managing from my keyboard, let's skip the fifth starter this time through and let Hughes start on four days rest Friday instead of

Mike Pelfrey. The logic is simple: I'm going to the game that night.

Postgame: No fluke the Royals are 7-0

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 13, 2015

Three observations from a long, deflating day at the ballpark for the Twins:

— The Royals aren’t going to win all 162, but it’s pretty impressive how strong they have started the season. Up and down their batting order,

with the notable exception of Alex Gordon, everyone is hitting. Lorenzo Cain is at .407, and he looked locked in, especially in his sixth-inning at-

bat that pretty much ended Trevor May’s day. Salvador Perez is quietly hitting .414 from the eighth spot in the lineup, and he’s already got

three homers this year. And that Royals’ bullpen might even be better this year than last — KC has gotten 19 innings so far from its relievers,

and they haven’t allowed a run yet. The Twins? In 21.2 innings, they’ve allowed … 17 runs.

— Tim Stauffer hasn’t looked like the same pitcher who posted back-to-back strong seasons in San Diego, but he started well on Monday.

That’s why I was surprised that Paul Molitor left him out there so long. Stauffer relieved Trevor May with two runners on in the sixth, retired

Alex Rios on a fly ball to center, gave up a line-drive hit to left that scored a run, and ended the inning by getting Omar Infante to ground into a

force play. In the seventh, three straight Royals all grounded to short — and I expected Stauffer’s day to be done. Why not bank that decent

outing, let Stauffer enjoy some success, and go to Brian Duensing or Casey Fien for the eighth? Remember, the score was 5-3 at the time.

Molitor chose to stick with Stauffer, and I’m sure he had his reasons — he mentioned after the game how fresh Stauffer was — but Eric Hosmer

led off with a single, and Stauffer walked Kendrys Morales on four pitches. That’s when Molitor pulled him, and it may not have mattered much,

because the inning exploded from that point, with the Royals scoring six on just two hits.

— Speaking of Morales, how do you feel about him now, Twins fans? Minnesota signed Morales last June, after he had sat out two months

looking for a contract, and he didn’t contribute much in his two months with the Twins — a .234 batting average, one home run, 18 RBIs. But he

signed a two-year, $17 million contract last winter with Kansas City, and he’s a different hitter. Morales is batting .414 so far, has five RBIs, and

on Monday, he did something he never did in 17 home games with the Twins — hit a home run. It went about 405 feet, and had to leave fans

feeling like they never got to see that guy last year.

Tom Powers: Gloom settling in early for Twins fans

Tom Powers | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2015

After the Opening Day ceremonies, the introductions and the hugs, the waves and the smiles, reality set in: This is Twins Territory. And it is the

most rundown, unsightly and uncomfortable neighborhood in baseball.

Local sports fans had a chance to hit the trifecta on Monday. They could have gone straight from the Twins game to the Timberwolves contest

across the street. Then they could have wrapped it all up quite nicely by stepping in front of a city bus.

Seven games in, just one at Target Field, and already there is a palpable sense of despair. On the surface, it seems ridiculous. How can there be

so much gloom just one week into a season? Well, after four years of this, Twins fans know bad baseball when they see it. In fact, they have

become experts in this area.

So despite the early calendar date, they can't be blamed for thinking: If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck ...

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This is the organization's worst nightmare. A team that needed to make an early impression in order to generate hope instead has never looked

so ragged. The goodwill generated by the hiring of Paul Molitor as manager has pretty much gone poof. The Twins have made more mistakes in

the last week than Molitor made during his Hall of Fame playing career.

"I don't think we need to panic right now," Torii Hunter said. "But we definitely need to make some adjustments."

Poor Hunter came here to help contribute to a turnaround, not serve as some sort of museum exhibit.

There's no way he bargained for this. Meanwhile, by virtue of his veteran status he universally is considered the unofficial team spokesman.

Even though he is barely on a first-name basis with some of his new teammates, he is endlessly asked to explain what's wrong with them.

"It's seven games," he insisted. "We've got 155 games to go. I think we definitely have a chance to turn it around. We have to start lifting each

other up."

The Twins have been short on pitching for four years. Now, out of the blue, that already shaky pitching looks even worse because the guys no

longer can catch the baseball. Or throw it to the right base.

"We're not pitching particularly well, we're not fielding particularly well, we're not swinging the bat particularly well and we're probably not

managing particularly well," Molitor noted. "So all these things we have to try to be better."

The biggest crowd at Target Field since 2013 saw the Twins get pounded 12-3 by the Kansas City Royals. The loss was ugly and by the latter

innings the crowd was, too.

"A lot of things that I thought we were doing well coming out of Florida, we haven't obviously translated into how we performed this first

week," Molitor said. "Collectively, defensively, we're making mistakes, throwing the ball around a little bit, not hitting cutoff men, all those kinds

of things."

"All these fans come out to watch the Twins play and we didn't play Twins baseball," Hunter lamented. "I don't know what we played."

What Hunter doesn't realize is that in his absence this sort of futile play has become the modern day version of Twins baseball. Maybe not all

these mistakes in the field, but the hopelessness of it all has become the new normal.

"If they want to make a decision like that in their own mind, 'Here we go again,' I guess I can try to be empathetic to that, understanding that as

a baseball fan and a member of this organization I know what it's been like the last four years after having a nice run for a number of years,"

Molitor said even before the 12-3 pasting. "But I can't think that way."

It's too bad people feel this way so early. Yet the Twins brought this on themselves. Bad signings, poor talent evaluation and a stretch of bad

drafts brought them to this point. Everyone continues to wait (endlessly) for the next wave of prospects to arrive from the minors and lend

support.

Very soon all this anguish will turn to apathy. By June, it's likely that visiting batters will be distracted by the sound of crickets echoing through

the grandstand. Meanwhile, good seats remain available. And my guess is that those that are patient might someday find that Twins tickets

eventually will be given away with fill-ups at local gas stations.

Minimum eight gallons, or course.

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Former Twin Kendrys Morales has been an early hit with Royals

Andy Greder | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2015

Kendrys Morales is doing for the Royals this season what the Twins wanted from him a year ago.

Morales, now a switch-hitting designated hitter with Kansas City, crushed a Trevor May fastball an estimated 431 feet into the upper deck at

Target Field in Monday's second inning. The home run helped the Royals destroy the Twins 12-3, spoiling Minnesota's home opener.

Morales finished 2 for 4, adding a single, and scoring two runs. He lifted his batting average to .414, with five runs batted in and nine runs

scored for the undefeated Royals (7-0). Entering Monday, Morales had a whopping 1.123 on-base plus slugging percentage.

"He is swinging the bat extremely well from both sides of the plate," Royals manager Ned Yost said before the game.

Afterward, Yost had more praise.

"I think Morales and (Alex) Rios have blended in to the point of being those solid veteran guys, to mix in with guys, (and they) believe in their

abilities and are capable of accomplishing great things," Yost said.

The Twins were 29-31 on June 8 last year when general manager Terry Ryan said "Why not us?" on being included in the American League

playoff picture.

That day, the Twins announced the signing of Morales to a pro-rated one-year, $7.5 million deal. Minnesota waited until then because it no

longer had to give draft picks to Seattle as compensation for Morales turning down the Mariners' qualifying offer.

Without any options left, Morales had to stay in the big leagues instead of knocking off rust in the minors. It showed, as he hit .234 with one

home run and 18 RBIs in 154 at-bats with Minnesota.

Yost said the difference in Morales this season is simple: He participated in spring training.

"No matter how hard you try, it's hard to get in game shape when you are sitting there through April, May and June," Yost said. "He just never

caught up, so when we signed him this year, we knew that he was still was a very capable offensive performer and producer. We gave him like

70 at-bats in spring training to get them under his belt, and he's been fantastic for us."

Morales said there were times he felt up to speed last year, but the late start was too much to overcome.

"He felt that, at times last year, he felt really good, locked in, but overall not having those ABs in spring training was one aspect that affected

him," Royals catching coach Pedro Grifol translated Morales as saying.

After 47 days, the Twins then traded Morales to Seattle for pitcher Stephen Pryor on July 24. With the Mariners, Morales hit .207 with 24 RBIs in

213 at-bats in 2014. Across nine seasons, Morales is a career .272 hitter with 392 RBIs.

When the Twins unloaded Morales, they saved the $4.3 million remaining on his contract.

Morales, 31, will earn 6.5 million with Kansas City this season. A week into the season, the Royals are getting their money's worth.

Twinsights: Ricky Nolasco (elbow) plans to play catch on Wednesday

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2015

Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco, on the disabled list with inflammation in his throwing elbow, plans to play catch on Wednesday.

“We’ll see how it goes and go from there,” Nolasco said.

Twins officials have expressed optimism Nolasco could come off the 15-day DL soon after he’s eligible to do so. That could be the series at

Seattle, April 24-26, but the Twins’ No. 2 starter said he hadn’t circled those dates just yet.

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“That’s too far to tell right now,” he said. “It all depends on how I respond from throwing. I haven’t even looked that far.”

Nolasco was chased in the fourth inning of his only start so far in Detroit on April 8. He later told team trainers he had experienced a “spike” in

his elbow, but a subsequent MRI revealed no structural damage.

Nolasco spent nearly six weeks on the DL last summer with a flexor strain before experiencing better results after his mid-August return.

Twinsights: How close did Royals come to landing Torii Hunter?

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2015

In addition to the Twins, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, the Kansas City Royals made a strong push to sign Torii Hunter this offseason.

Asked Monday if he ever woke up thinking he would sign with the reigning American League Central champions, Hunter gave an extended

exhale.

“It came close,” he said. “I thought about it. I thought about a lot of teams in the offseason. I stayed up praying at night. I sat up all night, didn’t

go to bed some nights and just tried to make that decision.”

In the end, the pull of a homecoming with the Twins was too much for Hunter to ignore. He signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal that includes a

full no-trade clause.

The Royals reportedly offered Hunter $8.5 million for one season, while the Rangers (with no state income tax) offered $8 million to the

Prosper, Texas resident.

Only the Royals, however, could offer the 39-year-old Hunter the chance to join a ready-made winner, one that reached Game 7 of the World

Series last fall.

“Those guys going to the World Series, that was very appealing,” Hunter said. “There were a lot of teams that were appealing. I didn’t sleep at

night, just trying to figure out, ‘OK, what do I do? Just go the easy way out and try to win somewhere?’ You know Seattle has a good squad. You

know the Baltimore Orioles went to the playoffs. And the Twins, they haven’t won in four years.”

Royals manager Ned Yost admitted it was “a little bit” disappointing when Hunter, who has never reached the World Series, chose the

rebuilding Twins.

“I think everyone wants Torii Hunter on their team,” Yost said. “He could have provided veteran leadership and is a good offensive player who

still plays solid defense. We were looking for a guy that can command right field and bring a veteran presence like he does.”

After missing out on Hunter, the Royals signed 34-year-old Alex Rios for one year at $11 million. There’s also a mutual option for 2016 at $12.5

million.

“He’s fit in great here,” Yost said of Rios, hitting .360 with a home run and seven runs batted in through his first 25 at-bats.

Hunter entered Monday’s 3 for 21 (.143) with five strikeouts, one RBI, one stolen base and no-extra-base hits.

Briefly

–The Twins unveiled a plaque in honor of former team president Jerry Bell before Monday’s game. The plaque is located near the team store at

Gate 29.

–Torii Hunter was given the prestigious corner locker across from Joe Mauer as all-star catcher Kurt Suzuki moved a few stalls away to make

room. Before Suzuki, the locker belonged to Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau. Closer Glen Perkins and veteran starter Mike Pelfrey still have

the other two corner lockers.

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Twinsights: Ervin Santana long-tossing, pointing toward extended spring

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2015

Ervin Santana was back home in Clearwater, Fla., so he wasn’t introduced as part of Monday’s home opener at Target Field.

However, the $55 million pitcher and his 80-game steroid suspension were a hot topic in general manager Terry Ryan’s pregame session with

the media.

Santana has resumed long-tossing at an undisclosed location, Ryan said, and will likely return to Fort Myers, Fla., to pitch in extended spring

training games “sometime in May.”

With a tentative return date of July 4 in Kansas City, Santana would be eligible to go on a rehab assignment of up to 30 days. Roughly three

minor-league starts should be enough to get Santana ready for the second half of the big-league season, Ryan said.

“I’m not too worried about him because he’s been around and he knows how to get prepared,” Ryan said. “There’s not a whole lot we want him

to do other than make sure he keeps his core in shape and his legs in shape. It works out fine.”

The Twins will save a little over $6.5 million in unpaid salary toward the $13.5 million Santana will make this season, but they would much

rather have had the full complement of starts he was supposed to make.

“People are going to test positive because kids are kids and men are men,” Ryan said. “Unfortunately, people make mistakes. This one’s a costly

one, not only for the player but for us. It’s a lot of games, a lot of money. You shouldn’t make that mistake.”

When New York Mets closer Jenrry Mejia recently tested positive for the same substance Santana — Stanozolol — it marked the fourth such

suspension in recent weeks.

“I don’t have any idea about those other three guys; all I know is what we’re dealing with with our guy,” Ryan said. “Three of the kids were from

the Dominican. Unfortunately, they need to know what they’re putting in their body. If they’re putting in something that’s illegal, they have to

pay the consequences.”

In general, Ryan doesn’t have much sympathy for those who run afoul of the game’s drug policies.

“If they take something they ought to know what it is,” he said. “That’s all, regardless of where you bought it or if it came from a reputable drug

store or nutrition store or wherever. They’ve been educated pretty well about this program and they know they’re going to get tested. They

ought to know what’s going in (their bodies). Unfortunately, I guess a couple of them here in the last month didn’t.”

Twinsights: No grand entrances for Twins GM Terry Ryan at home opener

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2015

Monday marked the Twins’ third opener in seven games, including Opening Day in Detroit, but general manager Terry Ryan said it never gets

old.

“I love Opening Day,” Ryan said. “There’s something about Opening Day (in the Twin Cities), between the flyovers and all the pageantry. You

just hope like heck we go out and perform and maybe get a win.”

The Twins have started 1-5 but they returned to their first home sellout in 111 games after boosting the Opening Day payroll by 28 percent to

$108 million, second-highest in franchise history.

“It’s a good day for our club, certainly the community and the business side especially,” Ryan said. “They do a lot of work. They’ve always done

a wonderful job of making that an event. I was glad to see it (was a sellout), glad to hear it. I know how much work they put into Opening Day.

Hopefully we’ll put on a good show for them.”

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White Sox players and field staff entered before Friday’s home opener at U.S. Cellular Field on the backs of cars and trucks. Ryan laughed when

it was suggested he might like to make a similar entrance.

“Yeah, bring me in on a Silverado,” he said. “I think I’ll stay right where I belong — out of the way.”

Twinsights: Bob Casey and Torii Hunter team up again with Twins

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2015

When Torii Hunter thought about his first home opener since returning to the Twins this offseason, he wondered about Bob Casey.

Just as Derek Jeter had a tape of the late Yankees public-address announcer Bob Sheppard accompany his at-bats over his final seasons in

pinstripes, Hunter requested to have the voice of the late Casey introduce him on Monday at Target Field.

He brought up the idea to Twins baseball communications director Dustin Morse before spring training.

“I didn’t know if they could get that done,” Hunter said. “I thought maybe it would be cool to get that done. I think they came up with a

solution.”

Casey, who died in March 2005, two weeks before his 80th birthday, was the only PA announcer in Twins history until his death.

“Bob Casey was special,” Hunter said. “He was a great man for me. I knew him since I was a youngster. I love his voice.”

Hunter, batting cleanup for the Twins, said the hope is to have Casey’s voice introducing him for his first at-bat and possibly even his full first

home game back in a Twins uniform.

For first time, Torii calls Target Field home

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- With 29 career games played at Target Field entering 2015, the ballpark isn't exactly new to Twins right fielder Torii Hunter.

But Monday's home opener against the Royals marked the first time Hunter was at Target Field in the home clubhouse as a member of the

Twins. Hunter previously played 11 seasons with the Twins at the now-demolished Metrodome before playing five seasons with the Angels and

two with the Tigers.

Hunter, though, said he's back home now after signing a $10.5 million contract with Minnesota this offseason, and he said even entering the

home clubhouse for the first time was emotional.

"Just walking into the clubhouse and looking at the history with the paintings on the wall, I saw a lot of guys who I played with and guys that

played before me that helped mentor me," Hunter said. "It's the best home clubhouse I've ever seen. Just walking through and seeing the

pictures of the Twins' history, it takes you back down memory lane. I'm just happy to be back and part of the family again."

The nostalgia was also evident for Hunter in his first at-bat against the Royals, as he paid tribute to the late Bob Casey by having a recording of

Casey introducing him to the home crowd. Casey was the club's public-address announcer from 1961-2005.

"Bob Casey was special," Hunter said. "He was a great man to me. I've known him since I was a youngster. I just like that voice. So I just thought

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it would be cool to get that done."

Hunter was a busy man before the game, getting the loudest ovation from the home crowd during player introductions, and he also caught the

ceremonial first pitch from Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett.

Hunter's leadership hasn't been lost on new Twins manager Paul Molitor, as he said Hunter has been a positive force in the clubhouse already

this season.

"I've known Torii for a long time, and you know it's been a long time when we were teammates," Molitor said. "But he's been great this first

week. It didn't really click for him offensively, he's had his struggle to get a couple knocks, but he's one of those guys in the clubhouse who

brings that emotion every day and is encouraging and reminding guys to keep going and keep playing."

Despite the club's slow start, Hunter remains optimistic and said the struggles are just magnified because it's at the beginning of the season.

"I definitely think we're going to turn it around as a team," Hunter said. "We're going to do some good things. We're going to compete. Right

now, we're just not gelling together, but once we get that rhythm, we'll start to gel together."

Twins fall to red-hot Royals in home opener

Rhett Bollinger & Jeffrey Flanagan | MLB.com | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Left-hander Danny Duffy tossed 6 1/3 solid innings, and he was backed by another strong showing from the offense to help

keep the Royals undefeated with a 12-3 win over the Twins on Monday at Target Field.

Duffy outpitched Twins right-hander Trevor May, who made the start in Minnesota's home opener in place of Ricky Nolasco, who is out with

right elbow inflammation. It helped the Royals to a 7-0 start on the year, which is the second best in franchise history behind only a 9-0 start by

the 2003 Royals.

"I thought it went pretty well," Duffy said. "Overall, I felt like I was commanding the ball down. I even threw about four curveballs and three

were strikes, so it was nice to see that come back again."

Kendrys Morales connected on a solo homer in the second, while Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez had RBI hits in a three-run sixth inning for

Kansas City. The Royals broke it open with a six-run eighth inning that included the Royals scoring on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded and a

run-scoring fielding error from shortstop Danny Santana. Alcides Escobar had a two-run single, while Lorenzo Cain drew a bases-loaded walk

and Hosmer added a sacrifice fly.

Brian Dozier paced Minnesota's offense with a pair of doubles off Duffy -- eventually scoring both times -- while Trevor Plouffe hit a solo shot off

Duffy in the seventh. The Twins dropped to 1-6 on the year with the loss.

"We're just not making plays," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We're not pitching particularly well. We're not fielding particularly well. We're

not swinging particularly well. And I'm probably not managing particularly well. So we have to try to be better."

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MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Nice day for the birthday boy: Cain turned 29 years old on Monday and had a solid day in his professional life as well. Cain drove in the go-

ahead run in the third inning with a sacrifice fly. And his double in the sixth plated the Royals' third run. He also scored the fourth run. Oh, and

he walked with the bases loaded in the eighth.

May saddled with loss in home opener: May pitched better than his line indicated, as he only allowed a few hard-hit balls, including a solo shot

from Morales in the second. The Royals scored on a sacrifice fly in the third, keyed by the Twins' inability to get an out on a grounder to second

hit by Mike Moustakas. It unraveled in a three-run sixth, but again it was the defense that let May down. The right-hander was charged with five

runs on eight hits and a walk over 5 1/3 innings

"Aside from a couple, the homer to Morales and a couple pitches in the sixth, I thought I executed fairly well," May said.

The new DH is pretty good: Much has been made of whether or not the Royals upgraded at DH with Morales over Billy Butler. Well, Morales is

making an early case that they have. Morales hit a home run (his second) and a single, and he is batting .414 on the season.

Defensive miscues haunt Twins: May wasn't helped by his defense, especially during the sixth inning. With Moustakas at first, Cain doubled to

right field, but Torii Hunter's throw missed the cutoff man, allowing Moustakas to score on an error. Hosmer followed with a deep line drive to

left-center field that hit off Oswaldo Arcia's glove to allow a run to score. Arcia also dropped a pop fly in the fourth on a sliding-catch attempt.

Santana capped it with an error with the bases loaded in the eighth on a routine grounder hit by Perez with the infield in. More >

"That inning wasn't pretty by any means," Molitor said. "I thought a lot of things we were doing well in Florida haven't translated into how

we've performed here this first week. Collectively, defensively we're making mistakes."

QUOTABLE

"All these fans came out to see the Twins play and we didn't play Twins baseball. I don't know what we played. Bad News Bears baseball." --

Hunter

"This kid ain't afraid. Seen him yell at Miguel Cabrera. He may look small or thin, but he's afraid of no man." -- Royals manager Ned Yost on

right-hander Yordano Ventura

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Morales had just one homer in 39 games with the Twins last year, but he has already surpassed that total in seven games with the Royals this

season. Morales' solo shot off May in the second inning was his second homer of the year.

Rio exits after HBP

Royals right fielder Alex Rios was hit on the left hand with a pitch in the eighth inning. Rios left the game in the bottom of the eighth, and he was

scheduled to have an X-ray Monday night.

"I think it's OK ... maybe," Rios said.

WHAT'S NEXT

Royals: Kansas City will send out right-hander Edinson Volquez against the Twins in a 7:10 p.m. CT start on Wednesday. Volquez is coming off an

excellent debut for the Royals, when he went eight innings and gave up just one run in a 4-1 win against the White Sox.

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Twins: After an off-day on Tuesday, the Twins return to action on Wednesday with right-hander Kyle Gibson starting against the Royals. Gibson

struggled in his first start of the year, giving up six runs on eight hits and five walks over just 3 2/3 innings.

Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV.

Fielding miscues costing Twins this season

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- With all the pomp and circumstance that comes with hosting a home opener, Monday was primed to be a good day for the

Twins with a sold-out crowd at Target Field.

Instead, it ended with an ugly 12-3 defeat to the unbeaten Royals keyed by several defensive miscues by the Twins, just a day after they

dropped three popups in a loss to the White Sox.

Right fielder Torii Hunter, who came up to the plate to a standing ovation in the first inning in his return to Minnesota, was later booed in the

sixth inning for missing the cutoff man on a throw that rolled into the infield to allow a run to score. Hunter blamed himself for the play, and he

said the boos were warranted, as it was one of several defensive lapses by the Twins, who suffered the most lopsided loss in a home opener in

franchise history and are now 1-6 on the year.

"All these fans came out to see the Twins play and we didn't play Twins baseball," Hunter said. "I don't know what we played. Bad News Bears

baseball."

Right-hander Trevor May took the loss by allowing five runs in 5 1/3 innings. It was hard to fault him, as the defense let him down several times.

The Twins were unable to get an out on a grounder hit by Mike Moustakas in the third that eventually led to a run, and Oswaldo Arcia dropped

a popup on a sliding attempt the next inning.

It was more of the same in the sixth, with Hunter's throwing error allowing Moustakas to score from first on a double from Lorenzo Cain. Eric

Hosmer followed with a deep line drive to left-center field that hit off Arcia's glove to score Cain.

But it was a six-run eighth inning that ultimately sunk the Twins, including a costly fielding error from shortstop Danny Santana on a routine

grounder hit by Salvador Perez with the bases loaded and the infield in. The Twins also walked home a run and hit two batters, including one

with the bases loaded.

"That inning wasn't pretty by any means," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I thought a lot of things we were doing well in Florida haven't

translated into how we've performed here this first week. Collectively, defensively we're making mistakes. We're throwing the ball around and

missing cutoff men."

Considering that defense was emphasized throughout Spring Training in Molitor's first year as manager, it's even more glaring early this season,

even if those mistakes can be corrected.

"It hurts," Hunter said. "Trust me, we spent a lot of time on defense this Spring Training. Just to come here and have the last couple days,

defensively that's not us. But I definitely think it's going to get better. It's uphill from here."

19

Undefeated Royals turn to Volquez vs. Twins

Jeffrey Flanagan | MLB.com | April 13, 2015

Right-hander Edinson Volquez makes his second start for Kansas City after a terrific debut for the Royals -- eight innings, one run against the

White Sox in a win. The Twins counter with right-hander Kyle Gibson, a University of Missouri alum who is coming off a shaky first start at

Detroit during which he gave up six earned runs and walked five in just 3 2/3 innings. It's a 7:10 p.m. CT start on Wednesday at Target Field,

where the teams split 10 games last year.

Things to know about this game

• Gibson has owned the Royals with a 3-0 record and a 1.40 ERA. That's his second-best ERA against any team counting multiple appearances

(1.29 ERA vs. Texas).

• Royals skipper Ned Yost hopes to give backup outfielder Jarrod Dyson a start on Wednesday -- Dyson has not started a game yet. Yost would

like to keep Lorenzo Cain fresh, and he may use a Dyson start in center to actually give Cain two days off, since Tuesday is an off-day for the

team.

• First baseman Joe Mauer has been Minnesota's hottest hitter early this season, and he has hit safely in six of the club's first seven games. The

Twins are unfamiliar with Volquez, but Mauer is 1-for-3 with a homer against him in his career. Catcher Kurt Suzuki is the only other Twins

player with a hit against Volquez.

• This year marks the 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson signing his first professional contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in 1945,

which was the first step toward his eventual breaking of the color barrier on April 15, 1947. As has been tradition each April 15, Major League

Baseball will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day with all players and on-field personnel wearing No. 42 during Wednesday's games.

Fien available for Twins after testing shoulder

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins reliever Casey Fien threw off the mound without any issues before Monday's game against the Royals, and he said he's

ready to return to action.

Fien felt some shoulder discomfort after throwing against the Tigers on Thursday, and the right-hander was held out of Minnesota's three-game

series against the White Sox over the weekend. Fien initially suffered the injury when he slipped on the mound while delivering a pitch, and the

slip caused him to yank his right arm across his body.

Fien tested his shoulder Monday, playing long toss from 200 feet and throwing 10 pitches off the mound under the watch of bullpen coach

Eddie Guardado, and he said he was happy his shoulder issue is behind him.

"Everything felt good," Fien said. "I'm good to go. I threw 10 pitches off the mound and Eddie watched me. I didn't feel anything."

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Defensive frustrations mount for Twins

Tyler Mason | FOX Sports North | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- All throughout spring training, the Minnesota Twins preached attention to detail, something new manager Paul Molitor hoped

to instill.

Through seven games of the 2015 season, that attention to detail has been lacking -- particularly on defense.

One day after committing several defensive miscues against the White Sox, the Twins booted the ball around several times in Monday's 12-3

loss to Kansas City in Minnesota's home opener at Target Field. The Twins committed a pair of errors on routine plays and had a few more

mishaps in the field en route to their fourth home-opening loss in as many years.

Monday's lopsided defeat dropped Minnesota to 1-6 to start the year. This wasn't exactly what Molitor had in mind when he took the job this

offseason.

"They're physical mistakes, but they should be correctable at this level, obviously," Molitor said after Monday's nine-run loss, the largest deficit

in a home opener in Twins history. "These guys are talented. They've played a while. We're just not making plays."

One of Minnesota's more egregious miscues on defense came in the fourth inning when former Twin Kendrys Morales led off the inning. He

sent a fly ball down the left-field line that Twins left fielder Oswaldo Arcia couldn't make a play on. Though the ball was not necessarily a lazy fly

to left, it was a play Arcia should have made. It was magnified, too, by the fact that Royals left fielder Alex Gordon made a nice catch to end the

third inning just a few minutes earlier.

Morales eventually was out on a fielder's choice and didn't score, but that play was yet another in a growing list of defensive lapses for the

Twins.

Arcia also had a ball bounce off his glove in left-center field after a long run. That resulted in an RBI double for Eric Hosmer.

Another miscue came in the sixth inning when right fielder Torii Hunter, a 19-year major-league veteran, was charged with an error. Hunter,

who never had more than four errors in a year during his first 11 seasons with the Twins, was charged with a throwing error on Lorenzo Cain's

sixth-inning double. Cain scored one batter later in what turned out to be a three-run inning for the Royals.

"It was a terrible throw. I don't remember the last time I had a throwing error," said Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove winner. "Defense, trust me,

we spent a lot of time on defense this spring training. Just to come here, the last couple days the defense has been not us. But I definitely think

it's going to get better. It's uphill from here."

The Twins' second error of the day came in the eighth inning when shortstop Danny Santana couldn't handle what appeared to be a routine

grounder to short off the bat of Salvador Perez. With the bases loaded, Perez hit a roller to Santana that the Twins shortstop tried to backhand.

He bobbled the ball and was unable to make a play at home plate, allowing the Royals to score to make it a 7-3 game. That kept the door open

for more runs in the eighth as Kansas City closed out the top half of the inning with an 11-3 lead.

Santana spent most of his first major-league season in 2014 playing out of position in center field but has since returned to his natural position

at shortstop. He did play 34 games at shortstop last season but spent most of his time (69 games) in center field. Monday was his first error of

the young season.

Not much has gone right for the Twins through seven games. The starting pitching has been roughed up, the bullpen has struggled, and

Minnesota hasn't scored a ton of runs. The defense, however, might be the most troubling aspect.

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In Sunday's loss, Eduardo Nunez dropped a routine fly ball in left field, and Eduardo Escobar did the same thing at third base en route to

Minnesota's 6-2 loss. It was more of the same Monday as the Twins were left looking for answers about their defensive efforts.

"All these fans came out to see the Twins play and we didn't play Twins baseball. I don't know what we played. Bad News Bears baseball,"

Hunter said.

"We've just got to keep working, whether it's come early, take some ground balls or take some fly balls, some different routes. All you can do is

control those things. In the field, relax a little bit. Just have some fun."

Royals spoil Twins' home opener

Associated Press | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- The sold-out crowd roared when Torii Hunter was honored during pregame introductions, and Timberwolves veteran Kevin

Garnett, flanked by Final Four star Tyus Jones, threw out a ceremonial first pitch before Minnesota's home opener.

After that, there wasn't very much for the Twins fans to cheer about.

Minnesota committed two errors, walked four batters, hit two more and allowed a passed ball in Monday's 12-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

The Twins dropped their home opener for the fourth consecutive year. They are 1-6 under new manager Paul Molitor, who thinks his team

might be pressing.

"Sooner or later everybody gets tested to some degree when you play that many games. For us it's been early," he said.

Danny Duffy pitched into the seventh inning and Kendrys Morales homered as the defending AL champions moved to 7-0 for the second-best

start in Kansas City's history behind the 2003 club that won nine in a row to begin the season.

The Royals are the only undefeated team in the majors.

Several of Minnesota's miscues occurred during Kansas City's six-run eighth inning, which the Twins needed four pitchers to complete.

It was a far cry from Hunter's days playing center field in the Metrodome, when the Twins relied on strong defense and fundamentals to win

multiple AL Central titles.

"After seven games it's not concerning," said Hunter, who heard boos from the hometown crowd after his throwing error in the sixth allowed a

run to score. "We might need to address it and get back to playing the game the way we know how. But I don't think we should panic right

now."

Morales, who failed to hit a home run in 67 plate appearances at Target Field during his stint with the Twins last summer, sent a pitch from

Trevor May (0-1) in the second inning into the upper deck.

Brian Dozier doubled twice and scored two runs for Minnesota, and Trevor Plouffe connected against Duffy (1-0) in the seventh to take over

first place on the ballpark's home run list with 36.

"I think we definitely have a chance to turn it around," Hunter said. "We've got a lot of professional guys in here. Guys have got some years in,

and we just have to make some adjustments and start lifting each other up.

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Trevor May was called up to replace the injured Ricky Nolasco in the rotation and allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings, striking out four.

"Just before I got to the field maybe a little bit of nerves but once I got here it was pretty familiar and I felt good warming up and kind of like just

another day at the park," May said. "It was more excitement than nerves, and I was definitely happy with how I felt going in."

Zulgad: Twins’ play in home opener provides a sickening feeling

Judd Zulgad | 1500espn.com | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- The 40,123 who spent a beautiful Monday afternoon at Target Field arrived looking for a ray of hope.

The Twins had lost five of six on a season-opening road trip to Detroit and Chicago, and the images beamed back to the Twin Cities on Fox

Sports North provided locals with a sinking feeling that a fifth consecutive 90-loss season was on the horizon.

But this is a sport based on hope and so a sellout crowd at the baseball palace in downtown Minneapolis couldn't be blamed for wanting to see

the product with their own eyes before passing judgment. As a bonus, the Twins provided these fans with hooded sweatshirts as they arrived;

turns out air sickness bag would have been more appropriate.

Final score: Kansas City 12, Twins 3. Twins' record: 1-6.

Thud.

"All these fans come out to watch the Twins play and we didn't play Twins baseball," said right fielder Torii Hunter, who provided the only feel

good moment when he received a standing ovation as he came to bat for his first home game back with the Twins since 2007. "I don't know

what we played. Bad News Bears baseball. We just have got to do better."

Give Hunter, who committed a costly throwing error in the Royals' three-run sixth, credit for a creative quote. That last sentence, however,

qualifies as a massive understatement.

The Twins don't just have to do better. They have to do better in every facet of the game and even that might not be enough at this rate. The

three words tossed around during Paul Molitor's first spring training as Twins' manager were attention to detail.

The narrative was that under former manager Ron Gardenhire the Twins had let the little things slide and that led to a growing number of

losses. This sounded great in March, but a week into the season those three words (attention to detail) look like nothing more than propaganda

provided by the folks at 1 Twins Way.

"We're just not making plays," Molitor said Monday after watching his team commit two errors and countless more mistakes in the field. "We're

not pitching particularly well, we're not fielding particularly well, we're not swinging the bat particularly well and I'm probably not managing

particularly well."

Yep, that about covers it.

The Twins' ineptitude Monday proved costly for starter Trevor May. May was the Twins' third choice to start this game after Ervin Santana was

suspended for steroid use and Ricky Nolasco ended up on the 15-day disabled list because of a sore elbow. (Was it just me or did Nolasco seem

to smile when he heard boos upon his introduction during the pregame introductions?)

May gave up five runs, eight hits, a walk and struck out four in 5.1 innings. Competent fielding would have held May's run total to a much-better

looking three. The Twins used five relievers, who gave up seven runs, five of which were earned. Shortstop Danny Santana booted a ball during

the Royals' six-run eighth that cost the Twins another run.

Afterward, Molitor was asked if his team is pressing. The real question - and one the Twins likely need to consider starting Tuesday - is when are

they going to start making some changes?

They can't continue to send this current product on the field for 80 more home games and expect people to show up. There is no All-Star Game

to sell anymore.

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Reliever Blaine Boyer, who did not pitch Monday, has given up at least a run in all four of his appearances. Making a move with Boyer would be

a start but only a start. The Twins have made six errors in seven games but their fielding has been far more embarrassing than that.

Molitor, a Hall of Fame player who is charged with turning around this mess, remains patient, for now. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

Your first instinct is to want to see some fire from the new manager, but the realization is that if he goes on a tirade now that is it.

"I have a lot of emotion about what transpires throughout the course of a game," Molitor said before Monday's game. "But whether as a player

or coach or manager, I like steadiness. It doesn't mean that you don't have to have particular conversations with individuals or collectively with

your team.

"But I realize how long a baseball season is and I don't know if any particular emotional outburst -- I guess you could try to measure when it's

going to be appropriate and when it's not -- but I have a tendency to do better personally and stay more optimistic when I look at the big

picture."

Molitor and general manager Terry Ryan will have a chance to take a good long look at the big picture of the first seven games Tuesday, as the

Twins get a day off before facing the defending American League champions again on Wednesday at Target Field.

It would be wise if both have those air sickness bags at the ready.

Wetmore 5 thoughts: More sloppy fielding, May’s debut, Plouffe’s lead

Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS - The Twins on Monday played in front of a sold-out crowd at Target Field and fell well short of putting on a good show. The

problem wasn't so much that they lost as much as it was how they lost in a 12-3 defeat to the Kansas City Royals.

This column presents 5 thoughts from Monday's game.

As always, feel free to ask questions or make observations in the comments. If you have a unique baseball observation during a game, feel free

to share it with me on Twitter (@DerekWetmore).

--

1. Trevor May made his first start of the season Monday, subbing in for the injured Ricky Nolasco (disabled list, elbow). I thought May pitched

fairly well despite his final pitching line not looking pleasant. In 5 1/3 innings May gave up five earned runs on eight hits -- including a Kendrys

Morales home run -- with a walk and four strikeouts.

May was removed in the sixth inning after 78 pitches because manager Paul Molitor said he thought the Royals began putting together better

at-bats against the right-hander and Molitor wanted to play the matchup game with his bullpen.

The final line, in my opinion, looks worse than it should because the Twins' fielders had a tough day at the office.

--

2. The Royals outfield defense was on display Monday while the Twins' was seemingly nowhere to be found.

There were several examples of this but I'll point out a couple that stood out to me. In the third inning, Brian Dozier hit a ball to right field that

might've fallen for a base hit but for a nice catch from Alex Rios. One batter later, Joe Mauer lined a ball to left fielder that was swallowed up by

one of the best left fielders in baseball, Alex Gordon.

Contrast that with the fielding effort Twins outfielders put on display.Oswaldo Arcia ran for a Kendrys Morales fly ball that Arcia should have

caught but didn't. He slid to try to make the catch and let it hit off his arm or glove and fall in for a base hit at the fair/foul line.

Torii Hunter couldn't range far enough to get a ball Lorenzo Cain hit over Hunter's head in the sixth inning. Hunter gathered the ball at the wall

and threw wildly into the infield - to a spot rather than to a target - and missed both cutoff men. It wasn't clear in real time whether the middle

infielders lined up in the wrong location to take the throw or if Hunter simply misfired. Hunter took the blame for the play after the game.

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"That was terrible. That was my bad," Hunter said of the misplay. "I have to know better than that and know where the cutoff man is going to

be. I missed him, it was a bad throw and I accept responsibility for that. I gave up two runs right there. We didn't have to give up those two runs,

so that's all my fault and the next thing you know they start hitting the ball pretty hard."

Only one run scored (from first) on that play, but two more Royals came around to score that inning.

--

3. It wasn't just the outfielders who had misplays Monday. The Twins are playing some ugly baseball in the field right now and you start to

wonder if it has a snowball effect or if this is simply a bad stretch for Minnesota.

Brian Dozier, ordinarily a trustworthy fielder, tried making a couple plays that didn't work out Monday. On one slow roller, he fielded a ground

ball on the shortstop's side of second base on his backhand and failed to come up with it cleanly and make the throw to first. It would have been

a really nice play if he had made it.

Later, he tried to turn a double play on a ball hit by Mike Moustakas. Dozier flipped the ball to shortstop Danny Santana but the throw pulled

Santana off the bag a fraction of a second too soon, and Santana did not complete a relay throw to first base in time to get the runner. What

would have been a slick double play to end the inning turned into safe-all-around and May faced a bases-loaded situation. He gave up a sacrifice

fly before escaping the inning.

"We don't want to do any of those things. We want to play defense with pride and we're obviously going to play better throughout the

year," Trevor Plouffe said. "We're not sugar-coating anything - it's been bad. The first seven games now have been bad. We expect to get

better; we know we'll get better. It's definitely magnified. If our record was better we wouldn't be talking about it but we have to clean those

things up. We haven't played well defensively or offensively."

--

4. Trevor Plouffe hit his 36th home run in Target Field with a solo shot in the seventh inning. The blast to left pushed Plouffe past Josh

Willingham (35), and Plouffe now has sole possession of the home run crown for the five-year old stadium.

He's safe for now. Next on the list, according to a friend who keeps track of this, is Jim Thome (24) who won't be hitting any more big flies in

Minneapolis in a regulation MLB game. Brian Dozier (23) is the more likely candidate to catch him. Justin Morneau(20) is probably a long shot at

best.

--

5. Kevin Garnett threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Monday's game. Tyus Jones - the national champion from Duke via Apple Valley -

delivered the baseball to the Big Ticket. It was the first time Garnett had been seen in these parts in weeks. He last played for the Timberwolves

on March 7 and he's been out of the lineup ever since with a sore knee and illness.

It'd be something else if Garnett's body was healthy enough to get him on a mound with regularity to see if he could pop some mitts. Think

about that arm angle and fastball plane. Jones, meanwhile, reportedly hasn't made the decision on whether to turn pro or return for another

season at Duke.

Mackey: The manifesto of bad Twins pitching acquisitions

Phil Mackey | 1500espn.com | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins have been really bad at going outside of their organization to find pitching help.

I didn't realize how bad until I crawled down a Baseball-Reference.com rabbit hole during Monday's home opener thrashing at the bats of the

Kansas City Royals.

If my math is correct, the Twins in the past five years have given at least a handful of innings to 31 pitchers with previous Major League

experience whom they added via signing, trade or waiver claim.

Among this year's crop, the jury is still out on Ervin Santana, Tommy Milone, Blaine Boyer and Tim Stauffer -- although Boyer and Stauffer are

dangling dangerously near the red line already, and the season is only one week old.

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The jury is also still undecided about two other pitchers in the organization: 28-year-old left-hander Aaron Thompson, and 26-year-old

righty Lester Oliveros, who has dealt with various injury issues since being acquired in exchange for Delmon Young a few years back. Oliveros

was mostly lights out between Double- and Triple-A last season (88 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings, and zero home runs allowed), but he fell victim

to the Twins' craving for more seasoning.

Of the other 25 pitchers, 21 have been whiffs -- at least, in the eyes of this beholder.

We can probably give positive grades to Phil Hughes, Casey Fien, Jared Burton and even Sam Deduno, who gets credit for a very solid 2013.

Below is a comprehensive list of those 21 aforementioned whiffs - beleaguered pitchers that the Twins acquired from outside the

organization within the past five years (via trade, waiver claim or signing). All 21 had major league experience prior to arriving in Minnesota,

and all of them pitched at least a few innings for the Twins, with the exception of Joel Zumaya (who makes the list because he received a

guaranteed contract).

This list is not safe for work.

Jason Marquis - Marquis' seven starts with the Twins were disastrous from all angles - both the results and the plodding nature -- which

shouldn't have been shocking considering his age and lack of success in the National League (a 4.55 ERA, 4.79 FIP and 5.2 Ks per nine in more

than 1,600 innings).

Kevin Correia - A clone of Marquis, more or less. Like Marquis, Correia brought a lengthy track record of National League mediocrity to the

Twins. But the Twins saw... something different? If a 4.49 ERA, 4.38 FIP and 4.6 Ks per nine (among the lowest marks in baseball) was what the

Twins expected, well... they got their money's worth.

Mike Pelfrey - Another mediocre National League track record guy. And Tommy John surgery. The Twins continued to pump money in, and now

they are in Year 3 of the Pelfrey Project. It still isn't working.

Vance Worley - Acquired by the Twins in exchange for Ben Revere; After showing some promise with Philadelphia in the NL, Worley was rocked

for a 7.21 ERA and 5.53 FIP in 10 starts with the Twins. The Pirates benefitted from Worley's bounce-back after the Twins sold low. Really, his

only bad season came in Minnesota.

Ricky Nolasco - Previously posted a 4.37 ERA, 3.76 FIP and 7.4 Ks per nine in eight NL seasons. Not exactly lights-out - and his lower FIP (Fielding

Independent Pitching) mark suggested some bad luck or bad defense hindered him - but to this point, Nolasco has been a complete bust. And

now he has elbow issues.

Brian Fuentes - Acquired for the stretch run in 2010 issues prevented him from throwing more than a handful of innings. He wasn't disaster, and

the Twins didn't give up anything of substance to sign him, but he also didn't really do anything helpful for the team. He just sort of existed. And

celebrated the 2010 division title.

Matt Capps - Acquired by for top catching prospect Wilson Ramos; He still hasn't pitched again in the majors since parting ways with the Twins

a couple years ago, although shoulder issues helped derail his career. Capps was a serviceable late-inning guy for the Twins for the 2010 stretch

run, but, contrary to revisionist history, they didn't even really need him to clinch the division, and they wound up getting swept by the Yankees

in the playoffs.

Dusty Hughes - The Twins cited scouting reports from their own left-handed hitters as one of the main reasons why they brought Hughes in. But

after a solid spring, Hughes put 28 men on base in 12 2/3 innings for the Twins and wound up getting sent to Triple-A. After his demotion,

Hughes was asked by a reporter what he needed to work on in order to get back to the big leagues. His response: "What do I need to work on? I

have a (expletive) 10.00 ERA, man." Very true. Hughes never pitched in the majors again.

Josh Roenicke - Put 100 runners on base over 62 innings in 2013, and he hasn't pitched in the majors since.

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Jim Hoey - Walked 13 and gave up 34 hits in just 24 2/3 innings with the Twins, and he never pitched in majors again after departing.

Meanwhile, J.J. Hardy - the man Hoey was traded for - went on to hit 30, 22 and 25 home runs over the next three seasons.

Phil Dumatrait - Allowed 71 base runners in 41 1/3 innings in 2011 and retired in May of 2012.

Joel Zumaya - Wasn't able to shake career track record of serious arm injuries; Twins guaranteed him $400,000, leaving them no protection

from his spring arm blowout. Zumaya still hasn't pitched in the big leagues since.

Randy Flores - Previously had 4.60 ERA and 4.44 FIP in 247 innings, almost entirely in the NL; the Twins lost nothing by bringing Flores on board,

but he did give up 12 base runners in 3 2/3 innings over a short stretch in 2010; Flores never pitched in majors again after Twins.

P.J. Walters - A Cardinals castoff. As it turned out, the Cardinals knew.

Jeff Gray - Allowed 84 base runners in 52 innings for the Twins in 2012 and never pitched in majors again.

Luis Perdomo - Walked and/or plunked 14 and struck out only eight in his only brief stretch with the Twins. Was never seen in the big leagues

again.

Esmerling Vasquez - Never pitched in majors again after starting six games for the Twins in 2012.

Matt Maloney - He never pitched in majors again after allowing 19 base runners in 11 innings with the Twins in 2012.

Kris Johnson - He made a few brief starts last season, allowing 26 base runners in 13 1/3 innings, and he has yet to pitch in the big leagues since.

Shairon Martis - Was released 18 months ago and hasn't pitched in the major leagues since.

Chuck James - Remember him? He showed promise as a young pitcher in Atlanta, but shoulder issues did him in. He also never pitched again in

the big leagues after his brief stint with the Twins.

A few notes about this scintillating collection:

• 15 of the 21 never pitched again in the major leagues after flaming out with the Twins.

• Many of them had track records of being mediocre in the National League. Correia, Marquis, Pelfrey, Roenicke, Flores, Maloney, Dumatrait,

Nolasco...

• Most of them had track records of low strikeout totals, which is the opposite of what the Twins should have been targeting all this time,

considering no team in baseball has struck out fewer batters over the past five years.

There isn't a team in baseball that puts out less competitive pitchers, collectively, than the Twins have over the past five seasons. Over that

stretch, Twins pitchers rank last or near-last in almost every key category - strikeouts, ERA, WAR, home runs allowed, groundball rate.

I don't like to overreact to small sample sizes in baseball, but it appears Boyer, specifically, is yet another microcosm of a larger pitching

evaluation issue here. Boyer has allowed runs in each of his four outings so far this season, which fits right in with his track record - a 33-year-

old journeyman reliever who has been with nine organizations since 2007. There's a reason for this.

Veteran pitchers have built up these resumes - resumes of mediocrity, low strikeout totals, high ERAs, etc. - and they hand those resumes to the

Twins. And the Twins somehow find a ray of light.

If your resume says you've been working at White Castle for 10 years, why would it make sense to hire you to be a chef at Butcher & the Boar?

If the Twins' evaluation methods determine that a 33-year-old journeyman reliever should be pitching in high-leverage situations - in the 7th or

8th innings of close games - it would seem they need to re-think how they look at pitchers.

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And what other mistakes are the Twins making on more important positions and/or players?

Hunter says he ‘came close’ to signing elsewhere before choosing Twins

Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | April 13, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Torii Hunter was conflicted this offseason when trying to decide his next stop.

The veteran outfielder had suitors, two of which squared off Monday in the Twins' home opener at Target Field against the Royals.

In fact, Hunter at one point considered donning the Royal blue.

"It came close. I've thought about it," Hunter said before Monday's game. "I've thought about a lot of teams during the offseason. Sat up

praying at night, sat up all night then go to bed some nights and just try to make that decision."

"It just hit me for days to come back to Minnesota and finish it here. Whether it's this year, next year, I don't know when [I'll retire] but this is

where I want to be and this is the last team that I want to play for. I thought it was the right thing to do," he said.

The Royals are the defending American League champions, which had to be appealing, but they weren't the only other team to call about his

services. Also on the list, Hunter said, were the Orioles and Rangers. Ultimately, he chose the comforts of his first home over the possibility to

chase a World Series ring elsewhere.

Hunter didn't outright say that he chose his home team over the chance to win, but based on the way the Twins (1-6) have played the first week

of the season, it sure seems to be the case.

"There was a lot of teams appealing. There was the Mariners, the Orioles, Rangers and those guys [Kansas City] going to the World Series, that

was very appealing," Hunter said. "Like I said, I didn't sleep at night just trying to figure out what I should do. Just go the easy way out and try to

win somewhere? You know that Seattle has a good squad, you know that the Orioles went to the playoffs, you know that the Royals went to the

playoffs. The Twins, they haven't won in four years. You kind of make that decision and I felt like they were close when we [Detroit] played them

last year."