Thursday Twins: Kyle Gibson’s slider is all the rage

Some tidbits from around the internet, just for you (yes, you!):

• Kyle Gibson has been really good this year... just how good? Well, even Deadspin has noticed his filthy slider. They put a bunch of GIFs together and everything. Personally, I’m just amazed that they realized pro sports exist between the mountain ranges. Brandon Warne broke it down even farther, and showed just how much that slider has meant to Gibson.
• I commented in a game thread the other day that Logan Morrison’s grandmother seemed like a good interview, and Mike Berardino proved it, with a nice chat about her grandson, who grew up in the Kansas City area, and had a lot of family watching the recent series against the Royals. While he has hit a lot of homers at Kauffman, he’s never put one in the fountain, and his Grandma really wants that to happen.
• Joe Mauer has been taking part in “baseball activities” with no issues, and is possible to return from the DL as soon as tonight. Hopefully this will help jump-start the struggling Twins’ offense.
• Phil Miller and Paul Molitor talked about the shift and other data-based changes in baseball. It sure sounds like Molitor is willing to embrace anything that helps the team, even if he does have some concerns overall.
• You’ve probably noticed a lot more guys wearing helmets with chin protectors bolted on lately. Demand for them has apparently quadrupled from last season to this season. Jorge Ortiz with USA Today took a look into the trend.