Twin Killing

Fernando Rodney's trademark celebration after locking down a save is to shoot a fictional arrow into the sky.

These days, Rodney and the Twins are more prone to shooting themselves in the foot.

Rodney, aided by an error to lead off the frame, blew a two-run lead Thursday -- his third consecutive blown save -- in the Twins' 4-3 loss to the Yankees. The loss was the seventh in a row for the floundering Twins, who fell to 8-11 with the loss.


Thursday's blown save was a joint effort. Rodney induced a ground ball to third base for what should have been the first out of the inning, but Miguel Sano threw a "sinker," as Twins manager Paul Molitor described it, that bounced on first baseman Logan Morrison, skipping into the camera well.

Giancarlo Stanton followed with a swinging bunt, putting two runners on with no outs. Molitor described Rodney as "snake bit" after the game.

But if poor luck put Rodney in the position, it was a poorly placed fastball that Gary Sanchez yanked down the left field line for a three-run, walk-off homer.

"We had trouble making plays that cost us some base runners, and then Sanchez made us pay," Molitor said. "I think he's throwing the ball OK, but the results haven't matched up there."

The Twins have remained steadfast in their belief in the 41-year-old from the moment they signed him in December and installed him as their closer, even after signing the younger and arguably better Addison Reed to a two-year deal. But Rodney now owns a 6.75 ERA and 2.10 WHIP, and with the team in a tailspin that has the team 3.5 games behind the Indians in the AL Central, that faith may be tested.

If the team does make a change, it's likely Reed that will get the first shot at closing games. Reed has a 2.77 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 13/3 K/BB ratio in 13 innings this year. Another potential option, Trevor Hildenberger, was terrific for the Twins in 2017 but is off to a slow start this year.

Neither Molitor nor anyone else on the Twins has indicated they're ready to pull the plug. Owners willing to take a shot on potential saves should snap up Reed in the event they are, though.

Suarez Hurries Back To Reds Lineup

Eugenio Suarez

Eugenio Suarez and Delino DeShields are going to give fans unrealistic expectations about injury return timetables.

A few days after DeShields returned from hamate bone surgery weeks ahead of schedule, Suarez one-upped him Thursday by coming off the disabled list 2 1/2 weeks after suffering a fractured right thumb on April 8. The original timetable, and the standard recovery time for such an injury, anticipated Suarez to be sidelined into early or mid-May.

“I feel so excited to be back this quick," Suarez said before Thursday's game, in which he went hitless in four at-bats. "I feel great right now, a little bit nervous. I think that’s normal. It will be all right. I feel good. My thumb has no pain at all. That’s why I’m here today.”

The 26-year-old enjoyed his best offensive year to date in 2017 batting .260/.367/.461 with 26 homers, 82 RBI and 87 runs scored, and he was off to a .296/.424/.630 start this year before the injury. Back and healthy, at least by his word, fantasy owners should feel confident and equally "so excited" to have Suarez back.

Kang Returns To States, Pirates

In a surprising twist, Jung Ho Kang is back.

Kang, who has been in his home country of South Korea for more than a year after a jail sentence and denial of a visa request, was recently approved for a work visa and has returned to the United States, the Pirates announced Thursday. Whoops ! Donald Trump is slipping up.

“We are encouraged by the steps that Jung Ho has taken to date and are hopeful that having the game he loves taken away from him for more than a year has driven home the reality that he must make better life decisions as we move forward together,” Pirates president Frank Coonelly said in a statement.. "As we have communicated to him throughout this process, we will work to provide Jung Ho with the resources and support necessary for him to meet the high expectations that we have for him as a member of our organization and our community.”

What that means for all parties concerned is still unclear. Kang hasn't played in MLB since the end of the 2016 season, and even if he's kept in shape he'll likely require an extended spring or rehab stint.

The 31-year-old is a speculative add in very deep leagues -- he did hit .255/.354/.513 with 21 homers in 103 games in 2016 -- but most owners can afford to wait and see before investing in Kang's comeback attempt.

National League Quick Hits: Kris Bryant (head) is out of the Cubs' starting lineup again on Thursday versus the Brewers. Bryant has been sidelined since taking a pitch off his helmet on Sunday. He was scheduled to meet with team physician Dr. Stephen Adams on Thursday afternoon in Chicago, presumably for another round of concussion tests ... Tommy Pham (head) returned to the Cardinals' lineup in style Thursday, finishing 4-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored in an extra-innings win over the Mets. Pham sliced open his forehead on Wednesday night while taking warmup swings with a resistance band, but the cut did not require stitches and he cleared MLB's concussion protocol. He's good to go moving forward ... Asdrubal Cabrera (hamstring) was also back in the Mets' starting lineup Thursday against the Cardinals. Cabrera was held out of Wednesday's game because of a minor hamstring injury. Cabrera's return wasn't as fruitful as Pham's, as Cabrera finished hitless in six at-bats in the loss ... Mets manager Mickey Callaway indicated Thursday that Steven Matz will remain on turn in the starting rotation. "We’re going to get him where he needs to be," Callaway told reporters. Matz allowed seven runs -- three earned -- over just 3 1/3 innings in Wednesday night's loss to the Cardinals and now holds a 4.98 ERA through 21 2/3 total innings (five starts) this season ... Kyle Hendricks was dominant in Thursday's victory over the Brewers, scattering four hits over seven shutout innings. The right-hander punched out five on the night and didn't walk a batter. With the victory, Hendricks improves to 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 24/7 K/BB ratio through 29 innings on the season ... Ronald Acuna went 3-for-4 with two RBI, including his first MLB home run, and two runs scored. The future is now in Atlanta.

American League Quick Hits: Indians placed LHP Andrew Miller on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Miller suffered the injury during an appearance Wednesday night against the Cubs. He figures to miss around two weeks. The dominant left-handed setup man leaves behind a 0.00 ERA and 17/4 K/BB ratio in 10 innings ... Joe Kelly began serving his six-game suspension on Thursday night. Kelly was handed the suspension back on April 12 after intentionally hitting Tyler Austin with a pitch and inciting a benches-clearing brawl between the Red Sox and Yankees. Kelly filed an appeal, which is how he's remained active the past two weeks, but that appeal was officially denied by MLB on Thursday afternoon ... J.D. Martinez went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run that gave the Red Sox a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Thursday. The 30-year-old is hitting .306/.351/.565 in the early days of his Red Sox tenure. ... Matt Davidson clubbed a pair of home runs on Thursday as the White Sox dispatched of the Royals 6-3. Davidson accounted for two of his team's five total home runs off of Jake Junis in the ballgame ... Wilson Ramos went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI to help the Rays best the Orioles 9-5 on Thursday.  About time he did some hitting.