Recent content from Chris Miller

Twins-Kansas City series preview: AL Central gantlet continues
The first-place Twins have a three-game lead over second-place Chicago, and play either Detroit or KC in their next 15 games.

Series preview: Cleveland visits Twins minus coaches in COVID protocol
Manager Terry Francona is among the group; still, slugger Josh Naylor will need attention
Game 5 recap: St. Louis 5, Wild 2
Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko had a natural hat trick in the third period, which started with the teams tied 2-2.

Twins-Astros preview: Three-game series at Target Field
The teams have the same record, although the Twins are in first place in the AL Central and Houston is second in the AL West.

Twins-Athletics game preview: Josh Winder shoots for second consecutive victory
The rookie righthander entered the rotation when Sonny Gray went on the injured list.

Wednesday's Wild-St. Louis game recap
Kirill Kaprizov netted the Wild's first playoff hat trick in team history.

Game recap: St. Louis 4, Wild 0
The Blues had the edge in special teams and rolled past the host Wild in Game 1 of the NHL playoff series.
Playoff preview: Here's how the Wild and Blues match up
St. Louis won all three regular-season meetings between these two offensively gifted teams. But the Wild is favored in tonight's series opener at the X.

Twins-Tigers preview: Cabrera arrives after 3,000-hit milestone
A weekend sweep of the White Sox moved the Twins into first place in the American League Central.

Twins-White Sox preview: Twins pitchers are hot, hitters are not
The Twins are struggling at the plate, but their starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 2.80.

Twins-Royals preview: Three-game series at Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City snapped a five-game losing streak on Saturday, and hasn't played since.

Former North Stars All-Star winger Tom McCarthy dies at 61
After his career ended, he served prison time but sought redemption by coaching and teaching young players.

Twins-Red Sox preview: Minnesota arrives at Fenway with cold bats
The Twins are hitting only .181 after a 2-4 start at home to the 2022 season.

Twins-L.A. Dodgers series preview: Two new Twins take the mound
Righthanders Chris Archer and Chris Paddack will get their first starts as Twins against the Dodgers' potent lineup.

Urshela bats cleanup as Twins open against Cy Young winner Ray
Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa are batting 1-2 against 2021 Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, who pitched for Toronto last season. Gio Urshela, formerly of the Yankees, will hit clean-up against the Mariners.

The team in photos: Meet the 2022 Twins Opening Day roster
Carlos Correa's spring training addition adds star power and makes the lineup more versatile. The starting rotation and bullpen have former All-Stars and fledglings.

What you need to know about the Twins' season opener
Check here for time, TV, ticket information and more.

Twins-Mariners preview: Cy Young winner Robbie Ray faces Joe Ryan
Seattle will unveil one of baseball's top prospects as well when 21-year-old outfielder Julio Rodriguez debuts.

Challengers improve, but White Sox are still class of A.L. Central
Chicago was 93-69 last season, even though outfielders Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez missed much of the year because of injuries. Their return adds to an already potent lineup.

100% different: Meet the Twins' all-new starting rotation
The team will open the season with five different starting pitchers than it did to start the 2021 season. Here's what you need to know about them.

National League power rankings: Dodgers on top, Braves looming
The Dodgers won 106 games but not the World Series. They're gearing up for another shot at it.

American League power rankings: Toronto added pitching to its hitting
The Chicago White Sox won the AL Central by 13 games last season, withstanding several key injuries. They're poised to do it again.

Timberwolves gameday: There's still a chance to move out of the play-in tournament
Minnesota has three games remaining, but will need Utah or Denver to fall apart.

A winning season? Here are five keys to the Twins' success
From pitching to catching, from Byron Buxton to Carlos Correa, here are five factors that will help determine whether 2022 is a good year for the Twins.

Timberwolves gameday: Game at Houston step in quest for sixth seed
Catching Denver to avoid the play-in tournament is a long shot, but ... there's still a chance.

A look at the top Twins newcomers for 2022
Gary Sanchez is not alone. Several other prominent players joined the Twins this year.

Wolves facing must-win vs. Denver to avoid Western Conference play-in
Denver is three games ahead of the seventh-seeded Wolves entering Friday's game in the Mile High City.

Wolves-Celtics game preview: Building momentum for a playoff spot
The Wolves will look to start another win streak against a Celtics team fighting for top seed in the East.

Lakers come to Target Center with 10-game losing streak on the road
LeBron James is the first player in NBA history with 30,000 points, 10,000 assists and 10,000 rebounds.

Timberwolves gameday: Oklahoma City is first of back-to-back road-and-home set
The Thunder is 20-42 this season and has fallen hopelessly out of postseason contention.

Timberwolves-Golden State game preview: Warriors coming off unusual loss
The Warriors blew a 21-point lead and lost to the visiting Mavericks on Sunday.

St. Paul Saints will retire Kevin Millar's No. 15
The 2004 World Series champion started his career with the Saints, and went on to play 12 big league seasons.

Timberwolves-Toronto preview: It's the final game before the All-Star break
The All-Star Game on Sunday will give most of the players a chance at a week's vacation.

Wild's Duhaime has no problem proving he's an NHL player
After two seasons in the minor leagues, he made the jump to the big club and has fit right in.

Wild gameday: Carolina has NHL's best defensive team
Behind goalie Frederik Andersen, the Hurricanes are a power in the Eastern Conference.

Wolves-Chicago game preview: Bulls have two All-Stars in DeRozan and LaVine
Chicago has the third-best record in the Eastern Conference despite some key injuries.

NHL suspends Foligno two games for kneeing of Winnipeg's Lowry
"It is only the relative lack of force on this play that keeps Foligno from being subject to much more severe discipline," the league said.

Timberwolves gameday: On eve of trade deadline, two games in Sacramento
The Kings, in a free fall this season, are executing a big deal in advance of Thursday's deadline.

Dumba on injured reserve as Wild opens second half at Winnipeg
After a six-day break for the All-Star Game, the Wild returns with the third-best record in the Western Conference despite playing the fewest games.

Wolves-Detroit game preview: Home-and-home series starts with lowly Pistons
The Wolves climbed above .500 with Tuesday's victory over Denver. The Pistons, at 12-38, have the second-worst record in the NBA.

Wolves gameday: MVP Nikola Jokic and Nuggets next at Target Center
Denver is 4-0 so far on a successful six-game road trip, while the Timberwolves are 14-10 at home this season, including a win over Utah on Sunday.

Wolves gameday: Phoenix has NBA's best record after eight-game win streak
The Suns have injury problems, but have managed to keep on winning at a torrid pace.

Wild-Rangers game preview: Metropolitan-leading New York has high-scoring top line
The Wild is 6-0-1 in its past seven games as it begins a two-game swing in New York.
Wild goalie Talbot eager for return to Madison Square Garden
After an injury scare Monday, when Cam Talbot played only the first two periods against the Canadiens, the goalie said he's feeling fine and ready to face the Rangers, his former employer.

Timberwolves open three-game Western swing in Portland
The Blazers are without All-Star Damian Lillard, who had abdominal surgery earlier this month.

After almost two years, Wild and Blackhawks resume their rivalry
The teams were in different divisions last season, and the last time they played, Bruce Boudreau was the Wild coach.
Wild vs. Blackhawks home-and-home preview
The teams play Friday night at United Center and Saturday in St. Paul.

Wolves-New York game preview: A near-.500 team vs. an at-.500 team
The Wolves look to climb back to .500 at Madison Square Garden.

Ovechkin, Capitals to face undermanned Wild at Xcel Energy Center
Washington captain Alex Ovechkin comes to town as the NHL's third-leading scorer, with his team playing well on road

Injured Kaprizov won't play Saturday; loss stings as Wild prepares to face Capitals
Coach Dean Evason says Thursday night's hit on Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov was not "a hockey play" and a big loss to his team and the NHL.

Timberwolves gameday: It's Oklahoma City again, this time down south
The teams met on Wednesday, and the Wolves came away with an eight-point victory.

Timberwolves gameday: Thunder rookie Giddey set NBA record in last game
The two teams will play Wednesday at Target Center, then meet again Friday night in Oklahoma City.

Wolves gameday: Five Minnesota players on protocol list, Jazz at full strength
Wolves try to get back to .500 against Jazz, the Northwest Division leader

NHL players won't go to Olympics because of COVID concerns
"Given the profound disruption to the NHL's regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events ... Olympic participation is no longer feasible," commissioner Gary Bettman said.

Wolves gameday: Another matchup with Dallas, both teams shorthanded
Mavericks scoring leader Luka Doncic has missed four straight games because of a sprained ankle.

Wolves-L.A. Lakers game preview: COVID-19 sidelines four Lakers
Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves is the latest to be sidelined by the coronavirus.

Four Minnesotans, three Gophers named to U.S. junior hockey team
Brock Faber returns after helping the Americans to a gold medal last time. Six Wild draft picks are in the tournament.

Wild's Guerin named GM of U.S. Olympic men's hockey team
Bill Guerin was an assistant to Stan Bowman, who resigned in October. The team will be named on New Year's Day. Guerin was a player on three Olympic teams.

Vikings place Mattison on COVID-19 list, claim running back Gallman
Mattison, who has started three games this season, is unvaccinated and will miss Monday night's game in Chicago.

Lynx 2022 schedule set; season opens May 6 at Seattle
The home opener is May 8 vs. Washington at Target Center.

Wild gameday preview: Edmonton features NHL's top scorers Draisaitl, McDavid
The Oilers, who have the league's leading scorers in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, are challenging for the top spot in the West currently held by Minnesota.

Gameday preview: Wolves head to Charlotte to face surging Hornets
The Wolves look to extend their winning streak and climb over .500 against a Charlotte team that has won seven of its past eight games.
Gameday preview: Winners of four straight, Timberwolves head to Miami
The Wolves aim to reach a .500 season record.

Wolves gameday: LeBron James unlikely to play for Lakers on Friday
The future Hall of Famer has been out this week because of an abdominal injury.

Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat get another chance at Baseball Hall of Fame
The two former Twins are among 10 players on the Golden Days Era ballot, with voting taking place on Dec. 5.

Gameday preview: Timberwolves vs. Denver
NBA MVP Nikola Jokic comes to Target Center as the Wolves continue a home-heavy opening stretch of games.

Gameday preview: Wolves' first road game comes vs. NBA champions
Milwaukee is off to a 3-1 start after beating Phoenix last season for its second league title.

Wolves gameday vs. New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans is without Zion Williamson, who had offseason foot surgery, and has a new coach in Willie Green.

Grudge match? Quantrill faces Twins tonight after kerfuffle in Cleveland
Cal Quantrill and Twins first baseman Miguel Sano exchanged words during Thursday's meeting between the teams.

Parise, cut by Wild, lands with Islanders
After eight seasons in Minnesota, Zach Parise had his 13-year contract bought out this this summer.

Wild adds veteran defenseman Jordie Benn on one-year deal
The 34-year-old brother of Dallas captain Jamie Benn will be entering his 11th NHL season.

Wild signs one of its first-round picks, defenseman Carson Lambos
The 18-year-old defenseman will likely play in the Western Hockey League this season.

Twins release 2022 Spring Training schedule
The games begin Feb. 25 and end March 29 in Fort Myers, Fla. with 17 home games at Hammond Stadium.