Baseball notes: Twins sign ‘kid out of nowhere’ who throws 100 mph

The Minnesota Twins reached a deal with a 24-year-old pitcher who has thrown 100-mph fastballs in a California summer league but has never been drafted.

Brandon Poulson, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, pitched this summer for the Healdsburg Prune Packers in the collegiate Sacramento Rural League. He played last season for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco after taking a couple of years off to work in his father’s excavating business. He also has played football and baseball and Santa Rosa Community College.

The Twins plan to send him to their rookie club in Elizabethton, Tenn.

Said Sean Johnson, Minnesota’s scouting supervisor for the West Coast: “This kid came out of nowhere.”

A’s lease approved

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a 10-year lease extension to keep the Athletics in Oakland. The approval encompasses recent changes to the agreement between local officials and A’s owner Lew Wolff. The deal already had been approved by the Oakland City Council and will become official once the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority ratifies the changes.

Etc.

San Francisco right-hander Matt Cain, on the disabled list since July 21 because of elbow inflammation, plans to meet with a specialist, Dr. James Andrews, this week to get a second opinion on his injury. . . . The Colorado Rockies activated first baseman Justin Morneau and left-handed pitcher Boone Logan from the 15-day DL. . . . Cincinnati outfielder Jay Bruce went on the bereavement list before Tuesday’s game against Arizona. The Reds did not provide details, citing privacy issues. Bruce is eligible to rejoin the team Friday in Miami. . . . The Chicago Cubs put right-handed reliever Neil Ramirez on the DL becasue of a sore triceps. . . . Washington right fielder Jayson Werth was out of the lineup Tuesday against Miami because of a sprained right ankle.