Twins burn three starting pitchers in epic 10-9 loss to Tigers Updated: 23 minutes ago Gerald Laird's 13th-inning solo home run off Nick Blackburn -- yes, Blackburn, who was scheduled to start Friday -- lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 10-9 win over the Twins on Thursday night. For the Twins, the loss came with some extra baggage. [Full Story]

Gophers edge Middle Tennessee State, 24-17 with rushing barrage Updated: 1 hours ago The Minnesota Golden Gophers football squad jumped out to a 14-0 lead, blew it, then scored a late touchdown to defeat Middle Tennessee State, 24-17 on Thursday night. [Full Story]

Notebook: Johnson produces, while Sheppard, Allen scuffle in secondary Updated: 3 hours ago The only three significant contributors in uniform for the Vikings' preseason finale against the Denver Broncos were in the secondary. Tyrell Johnson made his closing argument on Thursday night. Lito Sheppard and Asher Allen had some issues. [Full Story]

Tarvaris Jackson bombs, gets booed, but Childress still has his back Updated: 3 hours ago In a preseason filled with disappointment for Tarvaris Jackson, Thursday's performance had to rank near the top of the list. The Vikings' backup quarterback was booed on multiple occasions while completing 2 of 8 passes for 2 yards against Denver. [Full Story]

Scott Baker leaves game early with right elbow pain Updated: 4 hours ago Scott Baker left Thursday night's game after two innings with right elbow pain. [Full Story]

Jason Kubel scheduled to undergo more tests on left wrist Updated: 6 hours ago Jason Kubel said his left wrist hasn't improved much over the last 24 hours since being plunked on Tuesday night, and he is scheduled to undergo further testing on Friday morning, according to manager Ron Gardenhire. [Full Story]

Vikings rest most key players, start 20 backups in preseason finale Updated: 6 hours ago Coach Brad Childress hinted early in the week he was considering playing at least his first-unit offense. But virtually every significant player on offense and defense was out of the starting lineup for the preseason finale against the Denver Broncos [Full Story]

Oddsmakers still like the Vikings, who are 12-to-1 to win Super Bowl Updated: 6 hours ago Injury issues and an undistinguished preseason haven't hurt the Minnesota Vikings much in Las Vegas. The Bodog Sportsbook on Thursday released odds that put the Vikings at 12-to-1 to win Super Bowl XLV. [Full Story]

Denard Span on the injury bug: 'Only the strong survive' Updated: 8 hours ago Denard Span joins Reusse and Mackey for his Thursday Talkin' Twins segment. He talks about how the Twins have caught the injury bug and what they need to do to stay atop the division. [Click to listen]

GM Chuck Fletcher thinks Wild finally is deep at center Updated: 8 hours ago Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher joins Reusse and Mackey live at the state fair to talk about the upcoming hockey season and the Wild personnel. [Click to listen]

Q&A with rookie fullback Ryan D'Imperio Updated: 13 hours ago No rookie had more to learn upon joining the Vikings than Ryan D'Imperio. The seventh-round draft pick from Rutgers has made progress over the past four months, but he's still a long shot to stick when rosters are trimmed to 53 on Saturday. [Full Story]

The extra rest is helping Francisco Liriano Updated: 1 day ago After another stellar performance in a 2-1 Twins win Wednesday night, Francisco Liriano looks and feels like a rejuvenated man after a few extra days of rest over the past two weeks. [Full Story]

Valencia, riding a wave of confidence, delivers in 10th to give Twins a win Updated: 1 day ago A fantastic pitchers duel between Max Scherzer and Francisco Liriano eventually gave way to a battle between bullpens on Wednesday night. Danny Valencia came up with the game-winning RBI single, giving the Twins a 2-1 win over the Tigers. [Full Story]

Former Twin John Castino worried White Sox will win AL Central Updated: 1 day ago Joe Anderson sits down with former Twins infielder John Castino, who will be part of this weekends "50 Greatest Twins" festivities. Castino, who won the 1979 AL Rookie of the Year, had a shortened baseball career due to chronic back pain. [Click to listen]

Preview: Vikings vs. Broncos Updated: 1 day ago Who will start at center and right guard? Is Lito Sheppard the answer at right cornerback? Is Albert Young really worth keeping on the 53-man roster? Those are among the questions that will sort themselves out as the Vikings wrap the preseason. [Full Story]

Notebook: Kubel, Hudson, Thome and Fuentes are all considered day-to-day Updated: 1 day ago Following Tuesday's barrage of injury developments, the Minnesota Twins avoided any disastrous news on Wednesday, relatively speaking. [Full Story]

Michael Cuddyer discusses the Twins' barrage of injuries Updated: 1 day ago Michael Cuddyer joins Reusse and Mackey for his usual Wednesday Talkin' Twins segment. He talks about the win last night over the Tigers and some of the injuries that have sprung up recently. [Click to listen]

Twins send Loek Van Mil to Angels to complete Fuentes trade Updated: 1 day ago The Minnesota Twins announced Wednesday that 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Loek Van Mil will be sent to the Los Angeles Angels to complete last week's Brian Fuentes trade. [Full Story]

Big Ten realignment splits 'U', Wisconsin in separate divisions Updated: 1 day ago Citing two sources, ESPN's Andy Katz reported the "U" will be in a division with Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Nebraska, while the other division will include Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois. [Full Story]

Running back updates, sleeper tight ends, waiting on quarterbacks and more Updated: 1 day ago Obsevations from the third preseason week and some other musings ... [Full Story]