A spot start a long time in the works: Why Louie Varland started for the Twins on Tuesday

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On a slow day during the offseason, Rocco Baldelli might peak at the upcoming season’s schedule and take note of lengthy stretches of games.

“I’ve done that before and I’m like, ‘That’s a long stretch, that’s a long stretch, that’s a long stretch,’” Baldelli said. “Six months from now, maybe we’re talking about sticking someone in there and letting them pitch.”

That’s exactly what the Twins did on Tuesday, and that’s exactly why Louie Varland got the call from Triple-A. The Twins are in the middle of 13 games in as many days, and they wanted to give their starting staff a breather.

To do so, they inserted Varland in to make a start.

While it might be something he looks at far in advance, a serious discussion about calling up a spot starter usually comes a couple weeks out, Baldelli said. And though the Twins have the plans in the works, the starter himself may not even know until a couple of days before.

“These guys don’t need more heads up than that. It’s actually not beneficial,” Baldelli said. “There’s too many different things that can change if you start talking about these things too early, and you don’t want to necessarily always tell them just the day before.”

And so why now, as opposed to other long stretches without a break this season?

“We’re always going to have 13-game stretches. That’s what the baseball calendar looks like. You’re going to have a good handful of them over the course of the year,” Baldelli said. “You’re going to pick those types of stretches to normally insert a starter. It’s not like this is by far the best time to do it. It’s a good time to do it.”

Margot heats up

June has historically been Manuel Margot’s most productive month, so perhaps it’s not surprising that the outfielder has started to heat up after a slow start to the season.

“Whenever I get the opportunity to be out there, I just try to do my best,” Margot said through interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “Whatever happened the first two months, I just turn the page, and I’m doing what I do right now.”

Margot hit .204 with a .528 OPS through the first couple of months. He had just four extra-base hits — three doubles and a home run.

In his first seven games of June coming into Tuesday, Margot was hitting .429 with a .500 on-base percentage and 1.214 OPS. He had six hits, including a pair of doubles and a triple.

“Even when some of the surface line numbers you’re looking at haven’t caught up to the at-bats, we’re still noticing that the at-bats are good,” Baldelli said. “He’s hitting balls good. He’s shooting hard line drives all around the field. … He has had really good at-bats, and he’s earning some opportunities.”

Briefly

To make room on the roster for Varland, the Twins sent Diego Castillo to Triple-A. The Twins are likely to option Varland and recall another reliever … Pablo López is lined up to face Colorado left-hander Austin Gomber in the series finale at Target Field on Wednesday afternoon.

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Girls state lacrosse: Lakeville South overwhelms Cretin-Derham Hall to advance to semis

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Just like it has all season, the Lakeville South offense continues to be nearly impossible to stop.

Cretin-Derham Hall didn’t have an answer Tuesday.

Katie Grubbs scored a career-high six goals as the top-seeded Cougars routed the Raiders 17-4 in a state girls lacrosse quarterfinal.

Looking for the school’s second title in three years, the 17-0 Cougars also got four goals and three assists from Sivanna O’Brien. Tori Tschida, Emma Remington and Christina Swirtz had two tallies apiece, and Charlotte Fannin had three assists.

Next up for the Cougars is Stillwater at 5 p.m. Thursday at Eden Prairie High School. The Ponies (13-3) beat Minnetonka 18-5 in their quarterfinal.

Lakeville South finished third last year after losing a one-goal heartbreaker to Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the semifinals, a memory that remains fresh for this year’s squad.

“It’s kind of a reality check for us coming into the state tournament, making sure we’re really getting focused on what we’re doing, not just walking in like, ‘Oh, we’re going to win,’” O’Brien said. “It really helps us prepare and get focused, to get that drive.”

And there has been at least one ritualistic change.

“Last year we were singing to the ‘Pitch Perfect’ soundtrack, and this year it’s banned from our warmup from anyone singing it,” O’Brien said with a chuckle.

But success is not only about putting the ball in an opponent’s net; it needs to be kept out of your own. Lakeville South has outscored its four postseason opponents 67-12.

The Cougars have not allowed more than five goals in a game since April 18, their second contest of the season.

Coach Joel Tornel called the performance of goaltender Kate Baell “unbelievable” with big saves at big times, but he also credits the four girls in front of the last line of defense.

“All four of our D can clear, can pass and they play great defense. We just don’t give people quality scoring opportunities, and when they get a good look, Kate’s been there.”

Grubbs, a senior midfielder and University of Northern Michigan commit, scored 36 seconds into Tuesday’s game and Tschida, the Pioneer Press 2024 East Metro Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year, got on the board three minutes later. Swirtz, O’Brien and Grubbs scored before the quarter was done for a 5-1 lead.

“Katie was putting everything in. It came in her stick and she found space. It was fun to watch. Some of the prettiest goals I’ve seen all year were today,” Tornel said.

Jane Stangler scored three times for Cretin-Derham Hall (11-6), upping her season total to 40. Jordin Rosga scored her 57th of the season.

“This (success) is almost earlier than we expected. We’re trying to build the program back right, were trying to get back from a lacrosse perspective. And that the girls were able to battle and persevere where we had a little hiccup in the middle of the year and being able to be here is an amazing accomplishment,” said coach Jeff Rosga, whose club lost four of five games in early May and was seeded third in its section.

Grubbs, Tschida, Swirtz and Remington scored in a 90-second span midway through the second quarter to make it 11-1 and put the game into running time.

State golf roundup: Cretin-Derham Hall’s Udovich one back of Edina’s Ohe heading into 3A boys final round

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Cretin-Derham Hall junior Sam Udovich shot a 32 on the back nine in the first round of the Class 3A boys golf state tournament Tuesday at Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids to finish 4-under on the day.

Udovich is just one back of Edina junior Torger Ohe, who leads after firing a 67. Centennial sophomore Cooper Daikawa shot a 69 in Round 1 and is just two back heading into Wednesday’s final round.

Maple Grove’s Davis Tripp and Mahtomedi’s Jacob Wilson are each three shots back amid the crowded leaderboard.

Rosemount freshman Wyatt Holmes shot an even-par round of 72 on Tuesday to highlight a strong Irish team performance. Rosemount is 9-over par as a team, which has it in second place, just three shots back of Maple Grove. Waconia, Alexandria and Benilde-St. Margaret’s are all within six shots of the lead.

CLASS 2A

Hawley’s Jack Justesen and Rochester Lourdes’ Colton Rich are tied for the individual lead after they each fired 2-under par rounds of 70 at the Ridges at Sand Creek. Holy Family Catholic’s P.J. Herron is one shot back, while Carter White of Staples-Motley, Luke Ehlers of Marshall and Collin Ramos of Totino-Grace are all lurking at even par.

Holy Family Catholic leads the team competition at 9-over par. Detroit Lakes is seven shots back.

CLASS A

Lakeview’s Carson Boe shot what was easily the round of the day at Pebble Creek Golf Club, tallying six birdies en route to a 4-under round of 68. He leads Parker Brock of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley by three strokes.

New Life Academy’s Avery Ross is six shots back at 2-over par – good for a tie for fifth.

Fertile-Beltrami leads the team competition at 32-over par, but Park Christian (34-over), Legacy Christian Academy (36-over) and Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (38-over) are all within six shots.

GIRLS

CLASS 3A

Owatonna sophomore Carmen Jirele leads the field after Round 1 at Bunker Hills after firing a 3-under round of 69. She’s two shots clear of the Maple Grove duo of Amelia Morton and McKenna Hogan, as well as Lakeville South’s Jovie Ordal.

Defending state champion Reese McCauley of Simley enters Wednesday’s final round still in contention. She’s in a tie for sixth, just five shots back.

Maple Grove leads the team competition at 17-over par, one shot better than Wayzata.

CLASS 2A

International Falls senior Kelby Anderson and Holy Angels eighth-grader Elizabeth Fong are in a two-way tie atop the individual leaderboard after they fired 2-over par rounds of 74. Hawley junior Sophie Cook is in third, three shots back.

Detroit Lakes is in first in the team competition at 39-over par, 10 shots better than Lake City. Hill-Murray is in fourth at 62-over par.

CLASS A

Border West junior Paige Beyer paces the individual competition at 4-over par, two shots clear of Fillmore Central junior Myleigh Scheevel. Five other golfers are either at 8-over or 9-over par.

Fillmore Central leads the team competition at 57-over par. Dawson-Boyd is in second at 62-over, while Park Christian is in third at 68-over par.

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What’s next for Hunter Biden after his conviction on federal gun charges

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By CLAUDIA LAUER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press)

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden’s legal woes are not over after his conviction on three felony firearms charges in a trial that put a spotlight on his drug-fueled past.

Now, President Joe Biden’s son faces sentencing, and another criminal trial on tax charges in the middle of his father’s reelection campaign.

Jurors found Hunter Biden guilty on Tuesday after just three hours of deliberations over two days in the federal court in Wilmington, Delaware. The case stemmed from a gun Hunter Biden bought in 2018 while, as prosecutors say, he was in the throes of a crack cocaine addiction.

Here’s a look at what’s next for Hunter Biden:

Sentencing

He was convicted of lying on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

The three counts carry up to 25 years in prison. But whether the president’s son actually serves any time behind bars will be up to U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika. The judge, who was nominated to the bench by former Republican president Donald Trump, didn’t immediately set a date for sentencing.

In the federal system, first-time offenders don’t get anywhere near the maximum sentence. Federal sentencing guidelines — which judges use as they weigh punishments for defendants — are expected to recommend a far lighter punishment. And judges aren’t bound by the guidelines, so she could decide not to send him to prison at all. Other options include probation or home detention.

In pressing the judge not to put him behind bars, defense lawyers will likely note that, unlike many illegal firearm possession cases, Hunter Biden’s gun was not used in a crime. Hunter Biden never even fired the gun, which he had for 11 days before it got thrown in the trash, his lawyers have said.

The defense will also likely emphasize that Hunter Biden has since turned his life around. He has said he has been sober since 2019. Also, there have been no reported violations of his conditions of release, including that he continues to abstain from drugs and alcohol and participate in a recovery program.

Appeal likely

Defense attorney Abbe Lowell said in a written statement Tuesday that they will “continue to vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available.” It’s unclear on what grounds Hunter Biden will appeal the verdict, but he mounted multiple unsuccessful challenges to the case ahead of trial.

Among other things, Hunter Biden’s lawyers have challenged the constitutionality of the gun law at the center of the case in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court decision that has upended firearm laws across the country.

Hunter Biden’s lawyers have also argued the president’s son was prosecuted for political purposes. Lowell has claimed prosecutors bowed to political pressure after a plea agreement hit the skids in court and was publicly pilloried by Republicans, including Trump, as a “sweetheart deal.”

Under that deal last year, Hunter Biden would have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses and avoided prosecution in the gun case if he stayed out of trouble. Prosecutors were planning to recommend two years of probation. But the deal fell apart after the judge raised concerns about it.

On Friday, defense lawyers urged the judge to acquit Hunter Biden of the charges, arguing prosecutors had not met their burden of proof. Noreika did not rule on the motion before the jury reached its verdict.

Other legal problems

Hunter Biden’s trial on tax charges in California is scheduled to begin September 5. He was initially slated to go to trial in that case later this month, but the judge recently granted a defense request to delay.

He’s charged in the California case with nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses. The charges stem from what federal prosecutors say was a four-year scheme to skip out on paying the $1.4 million he owed to the IRS. Prosecutors allege he instead used the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle which, by his own admission, included drugs and alcohol. The president’s son has since repaid the back taxes.

Hunter Biden’s lawyer said at a recent hearing that he was struggling to line up expert witnesses willing to testify in the high-profile case in Los Angeles. Prosecutors said they are planning to call roughly 30 witnesses.

Republicans have also signaled they will keep going after Hunter Biden after their impeachment inquiry into the president stalled.

Last week, House Republicans issued criminal referrals against Hunter Biden and the president’s brother, James, accusing them of making false statements to Congress as part of the GOP’s yearlong impeachment inquiry. The president has not been accused or charged with any wrongdoing by prosecutors investigating his son.

Hunter Biden’s attorney said in a statement last week that the referrals are “nothing more than a desperate attempt by Republicans to twist Hunter’s testimony so they can distract from their failed impeachment inquiry” and interfere with his criminal trial.

A presidential pardon?

President Biden said Tuesday that he would accept the verdict and “continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.” The president has said in recent interviews he would not pardon his son.

The president’s response to the verdict stands in stark contrast to Trump, who blasted the justice system as “rigged” after his conviction on 34 felony counts in New York. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was convicted of a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. Trump denied any wrongdoing and has cast himself as the victim of a politically motivated justice system working to deny him another term.

While in the White House, Trump used his pardon power to benefit a broad array of allies, Republican supporters in Congress convicted of crimes and others whose causes were championed by friends.

The beneficiaries included four associates convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian election interference investigation, but notably excluded two others — former campaign aide Rick Gates and former personal lawyer Michael Cohen — who cooperated with prosecutors as part of that probe.

In a statement Tuesday, Trump’s campaign called Hunter Biden’s verdict “nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family.” Trump and his allies have long pressed forward unsubstantiated or debunked allegations that Joe Biden — while serving as vice president — acted to advance his family members’ foreign business interests.

______

Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker and Colleen Long in Washington contributed.