Minnesota
Christian Vazquez’s walk-off homer sends Twins past Astros
It was quite the day at the office for Christian Vazquez Sunday afternoon.
Vazquez plated the Twins’ first two runs of their series finale against the Houston Astros in a game that was tied 2-2 entering the ninth inning. Vazquez then hit a leadoff, 362-foot walk-off homer off Astros closer Josh Hader to send the Twins to a 3-2 victory at Target Field in Minneapolis.
TWINS WIN! pic.twitter.com/7frJjo0n9w
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 7, 2024
Vazquez’s blast also kept their home run streak alive. They’ve now homered in 25 straight games.
Vazquez was 2 for 4 with the homer and three RBIs.
Josh Staumont pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning and hit a season-high 101 mph in the process, Griffin Jax tossed a shutout eighth inning and Jhoan Duran threw a scoreless ninth to preserve a 2-2 tie.
Duran picked up the victory, improving to 4-3 on the season. Hader took the loss to fall to 3-5.
The Astros (46-44) plated the first two runs of the game in the second inning when Cesar Salazar hit a sacrifice fly and Jose Altuve hit an RBI single off Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson the next at-bat. But those were the only two runs the Astros would get off Woods Richardson, who only gave up three hits in all while fanning four across his six innings of work in another strong start.
The Twins (51-39) got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning on Vazquez’s RBI single, and Vazquez also plated the tying run in the fourth inning when he grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice that scored Brooks Lee, who led off the inning with an infield single. Lee was 2 for 4.
Matt Wallner was called back up to the Twins on Sunday and played his first game since April. It didn’t take long for him to get going as he drew a walk in his first plate appearance and singled in his second. Wallner also had a nice diving play on a ball in left field for the first out of the fifth inning.
Wallner was 1 for 1 with the single and walk.
Twins shortstop Carlos Correa exited the game after being hit in the right hand by a 96-mph fastball from Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti. The good news, however, was that initial scans did not reveal a fracture, and the Twins have designated his injury a right finger contusion.
The Twins will look to keep their momentum going as they travel to Chicago to face the division rival White Sox in a three-game series that begins Monday. First pitch is slated for 7:10 p.m.
Minnesota
Minnesota woman detained by ICE needs emergency surgery for tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst, lawmakers say
Minnesota lawmakers are calling for the humanitarian release of a woman detained earlier this year, amid Operation Metro Surge, who is suffering from a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst.
Federal immigration agents arrested 23-year-old Andrea Pedro-Francisco in Burnsville on Feb. 5, just days before she says she was scheduled to have surgery.
Pedro-Francisco moved to Minnesota seeking asylum with her mother back in 2019. Right now, she is being held in a detention center in El Paso, Texas.
State lawmakers — including practicing ER physician Sen. Alice Mann, D-Edina — held a news conference Thursday morning at the Capitol to push for Pedro-Francisco’s immediate release.
“An ovarian cyst this big can put weight on the ovary and cause the ovary to twist onto itself, cutting off the ovary’s blood supply. This is a medical emergency,” Mann said. “This can impact fertility, and we are talking about a 23-year-old. If not treated, this can lead to infection and even death.”
Also on hand Thursday was North Dakota-based pastor Ellery Dykeman, who said he met with Pedro-Francisco last week in the detention center. Dykeman said she looked thinner than he had seen her in pictures.
Dykeman said Pedro-Francisco told him she is forced to climb up to a third-level bunk despite immense pain extending from the right side of her abdomen to her back.
Earlier this month, Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig said her team is tracking 20 medical cases with improper care within ICE detention. A quarter of them have serious conditions, her office says.
WCCO has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Minnesota
Minnesota weather: Rain and storms possible late Thursday
Minnesota weather forecast. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Most of Minnesota will be under a marginal risk of severe weather on Thursday, with rain and rumbles expected.
Thursday weather forecast
Local perspective:
A line of storms is expected to develop in west-southwest Minnesota on Thursday and grow in coverage as well as intensity tracking east into the early evening.
Large hail and damaging winds are the prevalent threats, but an isolated tornado is also possible along the line.
Isolated showers are expected to form in the western part of Minnesota on Thursday morning.
Rain chances in the Twin Cities area increase in the afternoon, as a line pushes through with possible thunderstorms.
Stay Sky Aware with FOX 9 for the latest.
The Source: This story uses information from the FOX 9 weather forecast.
Minnesota
TikToker’s ban from St. Paul parks lifted after appeal, agent says
A TikTok creator is no longer banned from parks in St. Paul, Minnesota, after appealing the city’s restriction, according to his agent.
St. Paul Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriguez earlier this month accused Josh Liljenquist of going to Pig’s Eye Park to “harass, record and profit from vulnerable adults residing there without said individuals’ permission.” Liljenquist, who is known for giving away food and cash in his videos, denied the allegation.
On Wednesday, Liljenquist’s agent shared a new letter from the city.
“Based on an evaluation of the facts of this situation as they were relayed during your appeal meeting, I will be rescinding your ban from our parks, effective immediately,” the letter from Rodriguez read.
Rodriguez also wrote the city expects “all residents and visitors to our parks to abide by the rules.”
“Our responsibility is to ensure park spaces remain safe, respectful, and accessible for all, and we appreciate your partnership in that effort,” the letter read.
Liljenquist told WCCO he has only recorded at Pig’s Eye Park once, and it was with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office’s consent. He said he and his videographer always get consent from individuals they film, too.
Local organizations that work with people experiencing homelessness are split on Liljenquist’s impact. Sue Phillips, director of the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing, said his content “is exploiting people experiencing homelessness/housing instability.” Feeding St. Paul founder Michael Brendale, on the other hand, said, “Josh has changed many lives, taken people off the streets.”
Liljenquist told WCCO he films his efforts instead of making them private in hopes of “inspiring other people to do it, showing that it doesn’t take a lot of money, it doesn’t take a lot of resources to go out there and do something for somebody.”
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