Willians Astudillo has quickly become a fan favorite in

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) —Minnesota. Games like the one Astudillo had Thursday only help add to the reputation of the player affectionately known as “La Tortuga.”Astudillo had a career-high four RBIs http://www.piratesfanproshop.com/authentic-colin-moran-jersey , Tyler Austin added three and the Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 9-3.Astudillo, playing in his 26th big league game, capped Minnesota’s five-run third inning when his two-out single drove in a pair of runs to give the Twins the lead. He also added a two-run double in the fifth.“I’m just trying to go out there and try to swing at good pitches and it’s working out for me so far,” Astudillo said through a translator. “Just swinging at good pitches, and thankfully I’m executing.”Minnesota took two of three against Detroit in the final series between the teams this year. The Twins won the season series 12-7.Tigers starter Francisco Liriano (5-12) left after just 2 1/3 innings due to lower back tightness. The former Twin exited with the bases loaded and wound up being charged with four runs.“He was having a hard time breathing out there,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He was trying not to land hard on his front foot, every time he landed hard on his front foot, he felt shooting pain. Just got to get him out of the game.”It was Liriano’s shortest start since the last time he faced the Twins back on Aug. 16, when he went just 1 2/3 innings.“This is not the way you want to finish the year, especially when you’re going to be a free agent,” Liriano said. “Very disappointed. I tried to pitch through it David Freese Jersey , but it didn’t get better, it was getting worse.”Austin tied the game in the third with a double that scored Joe Mauer and Logan Forsythe. He also plated Forsythe in the fifth inning with a ground-rule double.Astudillo has put together some impressive numbers since debuting with Minnesota in late June. Including Thursday’s two-hit, four-RBI game, Astudillo is now batting .357 with 19 RBIs. In the last two weeks, Astudillo is hitting .415 (22 for 53) and has 15 RBIs in that span.With a roster very much in question heading into the offseason, Astudillo is doing what he can to make a case for a roster spot in 2019.“It’s important, these guys that are trying to get at least somewhat established,” said Twins manager Paul Molitor. “It takes longer than a month to get yourself on the map, but you can make an impression.”The versatile Astudillo also struck out on a check swing in the second inning, just the third time on what was his 83rd plate appearance that he’s struck out with the Twins.“He doesn’t get to two strikes all that often,” Molitor said. “I was surprised to see a couple three-ball counts today. Liriano’s slider got him.”The Tigers threatened in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out. Minnesota reliever Matt Magill recorded two big outs to end the inning. Magill struck out Grayson Greiner looking before getting JaCoby Jones to go down swinging for the third out.Minnesota once again employed the opening pitcher strategy Tyler Glasnow Jersey , with Gabriel Moya tossing just the first inning. The lefty gave up the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly by Nicholas Castellanos.Stephen Gonsalves (2-2) took over for Moya in the second and pitched 3 1/3 innings. Gonsalves was tagged for a pair of runs on three hits and four walks but earned his second career win.TRAINER’S ROOMTwins: Molitor didn’t sound optimistic that 3B Miguel Sano (leg) would return in the team’s final few games this season. “Each day it’s looking less and less,” Molitor said. “He’s not really changing how he’s feeling, and I’m certainly not going to be someone to push him out there if he’s not comfortable playing.” Sano last played on Sept. 18.UP NEXTTigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann starts Friday’s game against the Brewers at Miller Park. He’s winless in his last three outings.Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (11-11, 3.93 ERA) starts the first game of a doubleheader Friday against the White Sox. Berrios is looking for his first win since Aug. 4. Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty ImagesMinnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer will officially announce his retirement from baseball Sunday, the Star Tribune's Phil Miller and La Velle E. Neal III reported Friday.In a statement that will run Sunday in the Star-Tribune, Mauer wrote:"After much consideration I have decided to retire from playing baseball. The decision came down to my health and my family. The risk of concussion is always there, and I was reminded of that this season after missing over 30 games as a result of diving for a foul ball."Thank you, Minnesota Twins, and thank you, fans, for making my career as special and memorable as it was. Because of you I can leave the game I love with a full and grateful heart."Mauer was set to be a free agent this winter after playing out the final year of the eight-year http://www.piratesfanproshop.com/authentic-adam-frazier-jersey , $184 million contract he signed with the Twins in 2010.The 35-year-old, who mostly played catcher until 2013, is coming off a solid 2018 season, batting .282 with six home runs and 48 RBI. The six-time All-Star could still get on base at a respectable clip (.351 on-base percentage), but he offered little in the way of power.While Mauer's decision is an emotional blow for Twins fans who have watched him play for the past 15 years, it's not altogether a surprise. He revealed in a September interview with Neal that he planned to seriously consider his future following the 2018 campaign:"There's a lot that goes into it than just, 'Do you want to play?' There's a lot of different dynamics that go into it. I owe it to myself and my family to sit down and think about those things."I have had some conversations with some people close to me and it's amazing. Getting little bits from different people that are helping me cultivate this [decision]. I still have a lot to think about. I still have people who I want to speak to."It's interesting. It's a big decision, and I want to make sure I'm 100 percent about it."Neal reported health was a factor for Mauer after he dove to make a play in the Twins' 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on May 11 and hit his head on the ground. He began suffering from concussion-like symptoms in the weeks after.In 2013, Mauer appeared in just 113 games. While working behind the plate, he took a foul ball off his catching helmet that resulted a concussion. Mauer told reporters in February 2016 that effects from the concussion continued to linger, as he would occasionally encounter vision problems Chad Kuhl Jersey , particularly during day games.Mauer retires as one of the greatest Twins in franchise history. Only Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew posted a higher WAR with the team among position players than Mauer (55.1), per Baseball Reference.Because his decline was so pronounced as he got into his 30s, it's easy to forget how good Mauer was in his prime. He won the American League MVP Award in 2009 and won three straight Gold Gloves from 2008 to 2010.For more than a decade, Mauer was the face of the Twins, and the fact that he's a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, only strengthened his bond with the fans. His retirement represents the end of an era in Minneapolis.Mauer's next stop may well be the Baseball Hall of Fame.Baseball Reference's JAWS metric combines a player's career WAR with his best seven-year stretch and averages the two numbers. Mauer's 47.0 JAWS score ranks seventh among all catchers.The six players above him on the list are all enshrined in Cooperstown.