The Twins drafted third baseman Danny Valencia in the 19th round of the 2006 draft, and as the 25-year-old progressed through the Twins system he made two impressions—one, that he could someday develop into a power-hitting third baseman the Twins have for so long been without, and two, that he had an arrogance about him that doesn't sit well with in this organization in particular.

Valencia has been trying to prove the former and disprove the latter for a couple years now, and while he's hit just one home run at any level of baseball this season, he is at least now using his bat alone to speak to talent. The former University of Miami standout has been on a tear since he arrived in the big leagues this season.

The All-Star break was a welcomed rest for the Minnesota Twins. It was also quite the revival. They're only 14 games into the second half, but by outscoring their opponents 97-50 and going 10-4 they've rediscovered their energy and confidence even if the success was perhaps tenuously driven by playing weak teams.

Teams are lining up to take Ted Lilly off the hands of the Chicago Cubs for the rest of the season.

OK, so what if they did all their damage against a couple of last-place clubs? The Minnesota Twins don't care. Hitting 12 home runs while going 6-1 on a seven-game road swing to Baltimore and Kansas City sent them flying back home with a refreshing, renewed sense of confidence. "You can tell around the clubhouse," said Brian Duensing, who got the victory in a 6-4 win Wednesday that...

Minnesota's Nick Punto left the game against Kansas City with an apparent injury after bunting safely in the eighth inning. Punto bent over and tried to walk off the injury. But he eventually left the field under his own power with the Twins leading 5-2.

The pickups meant to clinch pennants that have brought the most pain.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer is hurting, but he won't take a break or talk about the pain. Calll it leadership.

Milestones and historic firsts just keep piling up for both the happy Minnesota Twins and the battered Kansas City Royals. Danny Valencia became the first Twins rookie ever to have four hits in back-to-back games, equaling Monday's feat in an 11-2 win Tuesday night. The night before in an even worse 19-1 drubbing, he'd become the first Twins rookie to smack a grand slam for his first major...

Here's some bad news for Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and all the other rappers who worked so hard to put a Chicago White...

Like a rolling odometer on a cross-country road trip, the Minnesota Twins ' run total never seemed to pause...

The Tampa Bay Rays finally wound up on the right side of a memorable pitching performance as Matt Garza's no-hitter highlighted an eventful evening of American League baseball.

Danny Valencia's own grandchildren may have trouble believing this story one day. Not only was his first major league home run a grand slam, it came in a 19-1 victory. And on a night he went 4 for 4. And, topper of toppers, it was off the reigning American League Cy Young winner in a six-run first inning.

The Minnesota Twins have put second baseman Orlando Hudson on the 15-day disabled list and recalled catcher Jose Morales from Triple-A Rochester. Hudson's move is retroactive to July 24. He has a strain on his right side. Morales batted .280 with one home run and 24 RBIs in 54 games with the Red Wings.

The Texas Rangers and Florida Marlins are having "ongoing conversations" about sending Jorge Cantu to...

The Minnesota Twins had to sweat out a four-game series at Camden Yards -- only in the literal sense. Despite battling soaring temperatures, awful humidity and an untimely thundershower, the Twins left Baltimore in upbeat fashion after cruising to a 10-4 victory Sunday. Jason Kubel hit his seventh career grand slam, Kevin Slowey took a five-hitter into the seventh inning and the Twins ended a run...

By COLIN FLY AP Sports Writer

Orlando Hudson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Minnesota Twins, who wanted to give their second baseman sufficient time to recover from a strained muscle in his right ribcage. Hudson's injury occurred during a third-inning swing in Friday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Delmon Young is closing out July exactly how he opened it — on a tear.

The only thing hotter than the 99 degree temperatures at Camden Yards was Delmon Young's sizzling bat. Young extended his torrid performance in July by going 4 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs, leading the Minnesota Twins past the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 Saturday night. The four hits tied a career high for Young, who is batting .429 with four homers and 22 RBIs this month.

During a season in which very little has gone right for the Baltimore Orioles, interim manager Juan Samuel uttered a phrase that hasn't been heard often, if at all, during his postgame interview. "Flawless game by our club," Samuel said after the Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 Friday night.