Minnesota
Rockies shutout in series opener in Minnesota, falling 5-0 despite Dakota Hudson’s strong start
Dakota Hudson got no help from his friends on Monday in Minnesota.
In the series opener against the Twins, the right-hander was solid, throwing 6 2/3 innings while allowing only two runs. One of those was unearned as Hudson recorded a season-high 11 ground ball outs.
But Colorado’s offense no-showed again, getting shutout in a 5-0 loss at Target Field. It marked the eighth time the Rockies have been shutout this year as they mustered just six singles.
Hudson retired the first seven batters he faced before the Twins plated an unearned run in the third. In that inning, Manuel Margot’s double turned into a triple when Hunter Goodman misplayed the ball in right field. That led to Christian Vázquez’s sacrifice fly and a 1-0 lead for Minnesota.
The Twins got another run off Hudson in the fourth, using Carlos Correa’s two-out double to score Royce Lewis. But besides that, Hudson looked good through 75 pitches.
“The difference in the velocity between the curveball and the fastball was effective, and (both pitches) had good movement,” Rockies manager Bud Black told Rockies TV. “Lot of balls on the ground, especially left-handed pitchers to the pull side. … With the exception of a couple swings, there wasn’t a lot of hard-hit balls. He pitched well.”
Meanwhile, the Rockies bats remained quiet, just as they were in the 5-1 loss in Sunday’s series finale in St. Louis. They couldn’t solve Chris Paddack, wasting numerous chances against the right-hander en route to the 6 1/3 shutout innings by the Twins starter.
“We couldn’t get to the high fastball, and we couldn’t get to the low secondary pitches,” Black said.
Charlie Blackmon singled to lead off the game, then Ezequiel Tovar’s bunt single gave Colorado two runners on with no outs. But Paddack escaped damage in that frame, as he did while working around singles over the next three innings.
After the Twins lifted Paddack with one out in the seventh, southpaw Steven Okert got the final two outs of that inning. Then in the eighth, Colorado product Griffin Jax — who pitched at Cherry Creek and then Air Force — diced up the Rockies. Minnesota’s set-up man struck out the side in Goodman, Adael Amador and Blackmon.
Nick Mears got the final out of the seventh, but the Twins lit him up in the eighth for three runs. Trevor Larnach’s sacrifice fly scored one, then Lewis hit a 435-foot two-run bomb to left-center to put the game firmly out of reach.
Despite a series split over the four games in St. Louis, the Rockies have now lost eight of their last ten games.
And of injury concern, starting catcher Elias Diaz departed in the opening inning with a left calf injury. Diaz came out of the box gingerly after grounding into a double play, and was replaced by Jacob Stallings.
“(Diaz) has been feeling it for a couple weeks and he’s been able to manage it, but today on that particular ground ball out of the box, it got him,” Black said. “We’ll see in a couple days. (Head trainer) Keith (Dugger) wants to treat it for a day or two and see where we are. It’s a blow. Diaz has been obviously one of our better hitters along with B-Rod, and KB, and Nolan Jones. Our big bats are dropping.”
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Minnesota
Walz doubts Vance, anti-fraud task force interested in helping Minnesota fight fraud
Vice President JD Vance chaired the first meeting of an anti-fraud task force aimed at cracking down on fraud in government programs nationwide. Some of the fraud, he says, dates back 30 to 40 years.
However, in his opening remarks, he highlighted fraud in the Minnesota state government in recent years.
“Now what we’ve seen is Somali fraudsters at an industrial scale taking advantage of that program to the tune of millions and millions of dollars,” he said, talking specifically about fraud in autism programs.
House Fraud Committee takes aim at autism programs
In an interview recorded for “At Issue with Tom Hauser” on Friday afternoon, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he’d welcome help in fighting fraud but doubts how interested the Trump administration is in helping the state.
“All fraud is too much,” Walz said. “One dollar is too much. I don’t really believe the vice president is interested in helping with this. If he was, he’d get us more U.S. attorneys. If he was, he’d have more FBI agents out here focused on this rather than harassing people in the streets. But what I would tell Minnesotans on this is they know it’s unacceptable. We’re on the path to having the most secure programs in the country. I take full responsibility for making sure that’s fixed.”
Walz acknowledges the involvement of some in the Somali community in several fraud cases in Minnesota, but says the fight against fraud shouldn’t be based on race or ethnicity.
Walz says ‘organized crime’ to blame for extensive fraud in Minnesota
“Going on there and talking about the Somali community, there are plenty of white men committing fraud too, and I don’t hear him talking about that. What I would tell you as a Minnesotan, I don’t care what your ethnicity is, your religion, the color of your skin, if you’re committing fraud, you’re going to prison. That’s my job to make sure it happens.”
You can see the entire interview with Gov. Walz on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on “At Issue.”
You’ll hear his response to a wide range of issues, ranging from his budget proposal to license tab fees to whether he plans to get involved in helping other Democrats in the midterm elections.
Minnesota
Over 840,000 Minnesotans Assist Aging Loved Ones, Shaping Their Daily Lives
UNDATED (WJON News) — A new report says hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are caring for a loved one.
The AARP says its report indicates 840,000 Minnesotans are caregivers for adults, providing care for older parents, spouses, neighbors, and other loved ones.
They spend about 480 million hours of care each year, work that would be valued at $11.1 billion per year if it were paid in the marketplace, based on a value of about $23 per hour.
AARP says family caregivers are averaging about 27 hours each week.
More than half, 57 percent, are providing high-intensity care, meaning they spend more hours helping with daily tasks like bathing and dressing, as well as complex medical and nursing tasks like wound care and administering injections.
AARP says these numbers are why it advocated to help secure Paid Family Leave and Medical Leave in Minnesota, giving family caregivers the ability to be there for their loved ones without sacrificing their jobs.
AARP also helps families navigate caregiving challenges by connecting them to resources.
Thanks For The Memories In MN Adam, SKOL Vikings
With the Minnesota Vikings waiving Detroit Lakes-native, former Minnesota State Mankato Maverick, Adam Thielen today, it’s only natural to go back and revisit his time with the hometown team. Here are some pictures of Adam in purple from his two stints with the Vikings, and his stats during his time with the Vikings.
Gallery Credit: Getty Images
Minnesota
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