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Twins Blast Price, Sox

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Minnesota 4, Boston 1

When: 8:10 PM ET, Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis
Attendance: 33,153
Recap for digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

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MINNEAPLOIS – Max Kepler and Robbie Grossman both homered off Boston left-hander David Price to supplement five innings of one-run ball from Minnesota starter Lance Lynn as the host Twins beat the Red Sox 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Kepler’s two-run blast in the fourth broke a 1-all tie after Grossman’s solo shot led off the bottom of the first. Lynn (5-5) walked five batters but allowed only an unearned run on three hits with two strikeouts for the Twins, who have won four of five.

Having won Tuesday’s series opener 6-2, Minnesota secured back-to-back series victories after taking two of three games at Cleveland.

Price (8-5) was on the hook despite his quality start, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out three in six innings. The Boston southpaw had won four straight starts and six of his last seven coming in.

Jackie Bradley Jr. reached on an error in the second to produce the Red Sox’s only run.

Boston has dropped four of its last five.

Grossman took Price deep to center field on his fifth pitch to put Minnesota up 1-0.

Twins first baseman Logan Morrison snagged Bradley’s grounder with two outs in the second, but his toss to Lynn covering the bag was off target for a throwing error that allowed Mitch Moreland to score from second.

With Mookie Betts up and runners on the corners, the Red Sox squandered a chance to take the lead when Brock Holt was picked off and caught stealing home for the final out of the visiting second.

Kepler’s blast to right with Brian Dozier aboard after a leadoff double broke the tie. Dozier doubled again in the eighth to drive in an insurance run.

After shutting the door in a non-save situation Tuesday, Minnesota closer Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth again for his 16th save.

GAME NOTES: Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello (8-3, 3.70 ERA) opposes Twins righty Kyle Gibson (2-4, 3.27) in Thursday’s series finale.

–Field Level Media

Drafting in the Dark

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CLEVELAND – (Wire Service Report) – Entering the 2018 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers must operate without knowing the status of LeBron James, who can opt out of his contract before the end of the month. James, Cleveland.com reported, has been in touch with the team through his representatives. However, James himself is not certain whether he will return to Cleveland, according to the report, and therefore cannot share his intentions with the franchise.

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Speculation James is leaving Cleveland built throughout the season, rooted primarily in the divide between the face of the team and owner Dan Gilbert.

James is being linked to teams who might be better equipped to build a contender to challenge the Golden State Warriors, but has given no indication where he might be headed next.

When James last faced a similar opt out in his contract, he fled Miami to return to Cleveland, and informed Heat president Pat Riley before the draft of his decision.

James has until June 29 to exercise the $35.6 million player option on his contract for next season.

Cleveland is well over the luxury tax even without James on the books. Kevin Love is scheduled to make $24.1 million, George Hill’s salary for next season in $19 million, and Tristan Thompson is on the books at $17.5 million, just ahead of JR Smith ($14.7 million).

If the team considers dealing an expiring contract, the best bet is likely sharpshooter Kyle Korver. Korver is guaranteed $7.6 million for the 2018-19 season.

Media reports also link Cleveland to veterans who could be available via trade, including Hornets guard Kemba Walker and Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, as the team strives to keep a competitive roster intact, with or without James.

The Cavaliers hold the eighth overall pick in Thursday’s draft.

–Field Level Media

Spurs on a Mission

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SAN DIEGO – (Wire Service Report) – San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made the trip to San Diego on Tuesday to meet with star forward Kawhi Leonard ahead of Thursday’s NBA draft, according to multiple reports.

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Kawhi Leonard

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The two had a “good” conversation and “more dialogue” is expected, Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News reports. Leonard did not want the meeting and has been making himself difficult to reach for the Spurs on purpose, according to ESPN’s report.

Multiple outlets reported last week that Leonard wants out of San Antonio and is determined to play elsewhere. According to ESPN, Leonard is upset with the Spurs’ handling of his quad injury and the lack of support he received from the team — namely Tony Parker and Popovich — while he was sidelined last season.

Leonard was reportedly supposed to meet with Popovich last week to resolve the tension, but it never happened. ESPN reports Popovich has tried to set up a meeting for weeks.

Leonard has his eye on playing in Los Angeles, preferably for the Lakers, according to ESPN. Leonard will reportedly alert teams interested in trading for him that his preference is to sign with the Lakers when he’s eligible to become a free agent in 2019.

The Spurs aren’t motivated to deal Leonard to the Lakers, according to ESPN, and have been reluctant to provide guidance to rival teams when it comes to potential packages for a possible Leonard deal.

Leonard, who turns 27 later this month, has been the subject of trade speculation for months after last season produced extensive tension between him and the team over the handling of his quadriceps tendinopathy, which limited Leonard to just nine games, during which he averaged 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Various reports over the last few months indicated the sides disagreed about the nature of Leonard’s injury, how to treat it and how soon he would be able to return to the floor. An ESPN report in May said the Spurs were worried Leonard’s group — led by uncle Dennis Robertson and agent Mitch Frankel — intentionally sought to sabotage the team’s relationship with Leonard in hopes of getting him traded to a larger market.

Leonard, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, has played all seven of his NBA seasons with the Spurs. He is eligible to sign a five-year, $219 million supermax extension with San Antonio this summer.

–Field Level Media

Porter Ready for NBA Draft Work

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – Michael Porter Jr. is willing to accept invitations for workouts with NBA teams unconvinced the former Missouri forward has overcome health concerns. Porter missed all but three games of his freshman season at Missouri after injuring his back last November, which required him to have surgery on his L3 and L4 spinal disks. He returned in March and went 9 of 29 from the field.

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Michael Porter Jr. (left)

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After the NCAA Tournament ended for the Tigers, Porter said he put basketball aside and focused on rehab, strengthening his core and slowly working his way back onto the court.

But the top college recruit in the country last summer continued to face health concerns. Last week, just one week before the 2018 NBA Draft, Porter was forced to cancel a second pro day workout designed to show teams his physical progress. Porter’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, decided to cancel the session, per reports.

Porter said Monday in an ESPN Radio interview that he’s good to go physically and willing to showcase his health to any team that asks.

“I feel good,” Porter said. “I got evaluated. I let the doctors come in and do all their tests on me. I’m feeling good. I think the teams are comfortable but I might get a couple workouts in.”

The NBA Draft will be held Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Porter turns 20 on June 29.

Porter said the soreness in his hip last week that led to the cancellation of his pro day was overblown.

“It was just a little sore, so I told [Bartelstein] my hip was kind of sore and he just wanted to shut it down for a couple of days,” Porter said. “And then people took that and kind of ran with it, saying, you know, my hip was injured, I couldn’t get out of bed. … None of that was really true. I was just sore and I wanted to take a couple of days off. So that’s all that was.”

–Field Level Media

Puma Signs Ayton, Jay-Z

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WESTFORD – (Mass) – (Wire Service Report) – Puma is making a major play to get back in the world of basketball, and the company took a big step on Monday by inking possible No. 1 overall draft pick DeAndre Ayton to an endorsement deal. Ayton, who is considered the favorite to be the Phoenix Suns’ choice with the first overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, said part of the company’s appeal to him was its presence in the Caribbean, where Puma-signed stars Usain Bolt (Jamaica) and Rihanna (Barbados) are from, and where Ayton (Bahamas) was born and lived until age 12.

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“Puma is pretty popular in the Bahamas,” Ayton said. “I’ve always seen the brand growing up. [Bolt] is one of the first people I saw with the brand. It’s important to me that someone I identify with and admire as an athlete is with the same brand.

“…As I’ve been in the States, I’ve seen what they do with entertainers and always liked that. I see someone like Rihanna recently — who is a lot like me, we have a similar background — and she’s putting her stamp on the brand. That’s something that appeals to me from a creative side. Eventually I want to be a part of bringing this new style of Puma to my people.”

The news of Ayton’s signing comes three days before the 2018 NBA Draft kicks off in Brooklyn, a few days after fellow top prospects Marvin Bagley III and Zhaire Smith signed with Puma, and on the same day that the company announced rapper and business mogul Jay-Z as its new president.

Jay-Z, who founded the agency Roc Nation in 2013, is expected to play a major role in marketing and pursuing players as future endorsers.

Puma’s sudden commitment to basketball is its first action in the sport since it signed Vince Carter to a 10-year deal in 1998, though that deal lasted only two years. The company also re-signed perhaps its most famous basketball player from past decades, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, to a lifetime contract earlier this week and launched a modernized version of Frazier’s old shoe from 1973.

“We’re making a serious statement about the entry of the category, that we want to be a performance brand, but then also very culturally focused,” Adam Petrick, the company’s global director of brand and marketing, told Complex.

Bagley and Smith have each signed multi-year shoe deals with Puma, and the company is expected to pursue other top prospects as well as established NBA players after inking Ayton.

Bagley is considered a likely top-three pick on Thursday, while Smith could be a lottery selection.

–Field Level Media

Brady: “And Now, the End is Near …”

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he intends to play football “as long as I’m still loving it,” but added he sees his retirement getting closer, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired Sunday.

“I think about it more now than I used to,” Brady said. “I think I’m seeing that there’s definitely an end coming, sooner rather than later.”

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After Winfrey asked if that would mean age 43 or age 45, Brady, who turns 41 in August, said, “As long as I’m still loving it.”

“As long as I’m loving the training and preparation and willing to make the commitment,” he continued. “But it’s also — I think what I’ve alluded to a lot in the [“Tom vs. Time”] docuseries was there’s other things happening in my life too.

“I do have kids that I love, and I don’t want to be a dad that’s not there driving my kids to their games. I think my kids have brought a great perspective in my life, because kids just want the attention. You better be there and be available to them, or else they’re going to look back on their life and go, ‘Dad didn’t really care that much.’”

Brady has an 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter with his wife, Gisele Bundchen, as well as a 10-year-old son with actress Bridget Moynihan.

Among other topics covered in the interview was Brady’s relationship with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, which has been the subject of reports over the last six months suggesting there is friction between the two.

When asked if there is “something going on” between he and Belichick, Brady replied, “Umm, no.”

“I mean, I love him,” he continued. “I love that he’s an incredible coach, mentor for me. And he’s pushed me in a lot of ways. Like everything, we don’t agree on absolutely everything. But that’s relationships.”

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One of the points of tension, according to reports, has been Brady’s alternative approach to maintaining his health, including his preference to work out with personal trainer Alex Guerrero. Brady — along with tight end Rob Gronkowski, who also has trained extensively with Guerrero in recent years — was absent for the entirety of the Patriots’ offseason program except for mandatory minicamp earlier this week.

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who is appealing a four-game performance-enhancing drug suspension, also trains with Guererro.

Brady was asked if he trains separately from the rest of the team.

“No, I wouldn’t say that, but I probably do some of my own techniques differently from the rest of the team,” Brady said. “The team, I would say, like most teams are very systematic in their approach. And what I learned, I guess, is different from some of the things that are systematic but that work for me.

“It’s nothing that I don’t talk about with my coach and owner [about]. ‘This is what I want to do; this is what I need to be the best player I can be and hopefully you can support that.’”

–Field Level Media

Is “One-and-Done” – Done?

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Administrators at the NBA league office sent a memo to all 30 teams on Friday saying the draft’s “eligibility rules” could change as soon as 2021 based on a review of issues “related to player development and the corruption investigation in college basketball,” according to an ESPN report.

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According to ESPN, the memo does not specifically mention the league’s one-and-done rule — which currently prevents players from entering the NBA until age 19 or a year removed from high school graduation — but it indicates that rule could be eliminated “prior to the 2021 or 2022 draft.” The memo presented the information in the context of next week’s NBA Draft, serving as a reminder to teams that could be considering a trade of future picks in the lead up to the draft.

According to USA Today, the league does not anticipate changes to its eligibility rules before the 2021 or 2022 drafts, but nevertheless noted the possibility in the memo.

No changes will happen before 2021, according to multiple reports.

The elimination of the one-and-done rule would very likely make the ensuing draft — whether in 2021 or beyond — much more talent-rich than a typical draft by featuring much of the top talent from consecutive high school classes in one draft.

Only one unprotected first-round pick from the 2021 draft has been traded so far — from the Heat to the Suns — and two others could change hands — one from the Grizzlies to the Celtics and one from the Bucks to the Suns — depending on whether picks fall within protected ranges in 2019 and 2020. No 2022 first-round picks have been traded as of yet.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBA players association director Michele Roberts have each said in recent months that removing the one-and-done rule at some point is likely. Any such change would have to be collectively bargained, but it would not have to wait for the current CBA to expire in 2024.

Headed by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Commission on College Basketball recommended in April that the NBA remove the rule, asking for action as soon as this year. The commission also suggested it would look at making changes on the NCAA side of things if the NBA rule doesn’t change.

The league is expected to discuss eligibility rules and other potential approaches to combat issues with one-and-done recruits at its summer meetings in Las Vegas.

–Field Level Media

Sox Scout: Price vs Lynn

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Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins

When: 8:10 PM ET, Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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MINNEAPOLIS – The Boston Red Sox missed out on a chance to become the first team to reach 50 wins this season in the series opener but look to rebound when they visit the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. The Red Sox’s bullpen coughed up four runs in the eighth inning on Tuesday during a 6-2 setback, dropping the team to 5-3 on its 10-game road trip as it lost for just the fourth time in 35 contests in which it scored first.

Boston’s Rafael Devers homered for the second straight game on Tuesday and has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 contests, registering a .327 batting average in that span, while slugger J.D. Martinez has recorded multiple hits in three of his last five games. David Price will try to even the series when he takes the mound for the Red Sox against veteran Lance Lynn, who owns a 3.13 ERA at home as opposed to 6.57 on the road. Eduardo Escobar brings an eight-game hitting streak (14-for-31, 10 RBIs) into Wednesday’s contest after knocking in three runs in the series opener for the Twins, who are 10-7 this month. Escobar leads the majors with 31 doubles, including one in the sixth inning on Tuesday that brought home a pair of runs, and has raised his batting average to .305.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FS North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH David Price (8-4, 3.76 ERA) vs. Twins RH Lance Lynn (4-5, 4.98)

Price has yielded fewer than three runs in six of his last seven starts, going 6-0 during that stretch after beating Seattle on Thursday with seven innings of one-run ball. The 32-year-old Vanderbilt product, who is 5-2 with a 3.59 ERA in eight road starts, has gone beyond six innings once in his last five trips to the mound. Eddie Rosario is 3-for-6 versus Price, who is 10-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 17 career appearances (16 starts) against the Twins.

Lynn has been a much better pitcher since posting an 0-3 record and 8.37 ERA in five April starts to begin his tenure with the Twins. The 31-year-old Ole Miss product has recorded six quality starts in eight outings since May 1, including each of the last five – a stretch during which he allowed seven runs over 31 1/3 innings. Mookie Betts is 3-for-5 with a homer against Lynn, who is 0-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three career starts versus the Red Sox.

WALK-OFFS

1. Minnesota 2B Brian Dozier is two home runs behind Tom Brunansky (163) for ninth place on the franchise list.

2. Boston SS Xander Bogaerts has collected three homers and seven RBIs over his last six contests.

3. Twins SS Ehire Adrianza has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, going 10-for-30 in that stretch.

Sports Biz: Knicks, Wizards to NBA London Game in January

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LONDON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The first hint of the 2018-19 NBA regular season schedule was announced when organizers of the NBA London Game 2019 stated that the Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks will meet at The O2 on Thursday, Jan. 17.

The Wizards’ roster currently features All-Star guards Bradley Beal and John Wall, who last season led the Wizards in points and assists, respectively, as well as Polish center Marcin Gortat.  The Knicks’ roster currently features Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis, French point guard Frank Ntilikina, guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and newly appointed head coach David Fizdale.

The game will be broadcast by the NBA’s broadcast partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and on NBA League Pass International. US broadcast details were not announced.

The NBA London Game 2019 will mark the league’s ninth regular-season game in London and the Knicks’ third game in the capital, having played regular-season games against the Detroit Pistons in 2013 and the Milwaukee Bucks in 2015.  The Wizards will be playing their first game in the UK.  All eight previous regular-season NBA games in London sold-out.

In addition to the oncourt action, the NBA London Game 2019 will feature a variety of interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA basketball programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in London.

“We’ve been playing regular-season match-ups in London for nearly a decade, and over that time the games and the surrounding festivities have grown into the equivalent of an NBA All-Star experience transported to Europe,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a prepared statement. “Fans and partners from across the continent come to celebrate basketball and enjoy the excitement and experience of an NBA game.”

 

PGA Tour: Travelers at a Glance

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PGA TOUR:

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LAST WEEK: U.S. Open (Brooks Koepka)
THIS WEEK: Travelers Championship, June 21-24
TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn. (Par 70, 6,841 yards)
Purse: $7 million (Winner: $1.26 million)
Television: Thursday-Friday 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday 1-2:45 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
Defending Champion: Jordan Spieth
Spieth beat Daniel Berger on the first hole of sudden death in 2017. Phil Mickelson (2001-02) is the last player to successfully defend at the Travelers. … The fifth-ranked Spieth is coming off consecutive missed cuts. He is joined in the field by No. 2 Justin Thomas, No. 4 Koepka, No. 7 Rory McIlroy and No. 9 Jason Day. … Jim Furyk set the PGA Tour record with a 58 in the final round in 2016. … Kenny Perry (22 under, 2009) holds the 72-hole tournament scoring record. … The Travelers typically grants exemptions to several young players, and those making their professional debuts this week include No. 1-ranked amateur Doug Ghim from the University of Texas and former University of Illinois star Nick Hardy. Dylan Meyer, who made the cut at the U.S. Open, will join his former Illinois teammate in the field. Thomas, Jon Rahm and Rickie Fowler are among previous players who have been given exemptions into the Travelers. … Six of the past 12 winners of the Travelers have been first-time Tour champions.
NEXT WEEK: Quicken Loans National, Potomac, Md.

Twin City Shellacking

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Minnesota 6, Boston 2

When: 8:10 PM ET, Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis
Attendance: 28,550
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

MINNEAPOLIS – Eduardo Escobar knocked a tiebreaking single to center field that plated two runs in a four-run eighth inning to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 6-2 to start a three-game series Tuesday night. Escobar’s hit trickled past Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. for his second error of the season, scoring Ryan LaMarre from second and Joe Mauer from first to make it 4-2. Escobar went to third on the error.

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Eduardo Escobar

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Brian Dozier followed with a walk, and Robbie Grossman’s two-run triple broke it open.

Escobar (2-for-4) also had a two-run double and finished with three RBIs on the night for Minnesota, which earned its fifth win in eight games.

Rafael Devers hit a solo homer and Sandy Leon added an RBI for Boston, which has dropped three of four.

The Red Sox (49-24) were denied their major league-leading 50th victory.

Minnesota reliever Zach Duke (3-2) got the win despite allowing a run on two hits in the eighth inning. Boston reliever Robby Scott (0-1) took the loss in his season debut, permitting two runs on no hits and a walk in one-third of an inning.

Twins starter Jose Berrios gave up one run on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Boston ace Chris Sale surrendered two runs on three hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out 11.

Devers gave Boston a 1-0 lead when he blasted a 2-1 changeup from Berrios approximately 418 feet into the right-center field seats with two outs in the sixth. It was his 12th home run of the season.

Escobar put the Twins up 2-1 in the home sixth, doubling to left on a 1-1 slider from Sale to score LaMarre from third and Eddie Rosario from first.

Leon’s two-out RBI single to right in the eighth tied it at 2.

Red Sox left-hander David Price (8-4, 3.76 ERA) opposes Twins right-hander Lance Lynn (4-5, 4.98) on Wednesday night.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour to Minny

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BLAINE, MINN – (Wire Service Report) – For the first time in 50 years, Minnesota will host an annual PGA Tour event.

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Tiger Woods at 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, MN

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The Tour and sponsor 3M announced Monday that they have reached a seven-year agreement to host an annual stop beginning next summer, the 3M Open. Though the dates have yet to be announced, the 3M Open will be played at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.

It will be the first time the Tour will play a regular event in Minnesota since the St. Paul Open/Minnesota Golf Classic was last played in 1969. It will also be a bittersweet partnership for some, however, as the addition of the 3M Open also means the end of the 3M Championship, a Champions Tour event dating back to 1993.

The final 3M Championship Champions Tour event in Minnesota will be played Aug. 3-5 this year. That event will also be played at TPC Twin Cities. The state has occasionally hosted Tour events since 1969, most recently the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine in Chaska.

“We are delighted to partner with 3M for this new PGA TOUR event in the Twin Cities, a community that has shown tremendous support for professional golf over the years with PGA Tour Champions, the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, and has deservedly played host to the biggest events in sports — Super Bowls, Final Fours, among them,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement Monday.

Sale for Sox

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Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins

When: 8:10 PM ET, Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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The Boston Red Sox finished last in the American League in home runs in 2017 but are finding their power again in 2018 and rank second in the majors in homers behind the rival New York Yankees. The Red Sox will try to keep the power flowing when they visit the Minnesota Twins for the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.

Boston pounded out three home runs in a 9-3 victory at Seattle on Sunday to earn a split of a four-game series and keep pace with the Yankees atop the AL East. Joining in the power barrage on Sunday was third baseman Rafael Devers, who belted a three-run homer among two hits and is providing some punch from the bottom half of the lineup while pulling out of a deep funk with hits in 11 of the last 12 games. The Twins just finished up a series win over a first-place team by taking two of three at Cleveland over the weekend and will play the next six games at home, where they own a 17-17 record. Minnesota will try to get around one of the best arms in baseball when lefty Chris Sale gets the call for the Red Sox on Tuesday opposite Twins right-hander Jose Berrios.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FS North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Chris Sale (6-4, 2.75 ERA) vs. Twins RH Jose Berrios (7-5, 3.51)

Sale was strong in his last two outings, allowing a total of two runs and eight hits over 14 innings while striking out 19 against the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore. The Florida native issued just 43 walks in 214 1/3 innings last season but is already up to 26 in 2018 after handing out four free passes at Baltimore on Wednesday. Sale won both of his starts against Minnesota last season, surrendering a total of five runs and eight hits in 12 1/3 innings while striking out 19.

Berrios is dominating opponents of late while yielding two or fewer runs in five of his last six outings. The Puerto Rico native followed up a complete-game win over the White Sox on June 7 by allowing one run across six frames at Detroit on Wednesday and owns 91 strikeouts against 15 walks on the season. Berrios lost his lone start against Boston in 2017, surrendering four runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Twins INF Eduardo Escobar doubled three times on Sunday and leads the majors with 30.

2. Boston RHP Brandon Workman allowed a run on Sunday, snapping a string of six scoreless appearances since being recalled from the minors at the beginning of June.

3. Minnesota OF Robbie Grossman left Sunday’s game due to heat illness and is day-to-day.

Copyright 2018

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