MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins entered the off-season with a desperate need for starting pitching, and theyre off to a pretty great start in addressing it. Right-hander Ricky Nolasco and the Twins agreed to terms on a free-agent contract Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because the team does not plan to announce a deal until Nolasco passes a physical. Terms of the deal were not immediately available, but Yahoo! Sports reported that it was for four years and $49 million. Thats a hefty price for the Twins, who historically have been reluctant to hand out big-money deals to free agents. Prior to Nolascos contract, the most the Twins had spent on a free agent who did not come through their system was the three-year, $21 million deal they gave Josh Willingham in 2011. But their need was acute and Nolasco was widely considered one of the top available free agents in a thin crop of starting pitchers. Hes walked just 2.1 hitters per nine innings for his career, which makes him a perfect fit for the Twins, who have always placed a premium on control from their starters. Pitching to contact has become a bit of a sore spot for Twins fans, who have watched their teams starting staff get bludgeoned while throwing strike after strike right down the middle. But Nolasco also has a healthy 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings, and hes shown the ability to get out of jams without letting the hitter put the ball in play. Nolascos Twitter account already has a Twins logo as its avatar, and this beleaguered team will no doubt be just as eager to welcome him into the fold. Nolasco pitched at least 185 innings in five of the last six seasons and will immediately slot in right near the top of what was the worst pitching staff in the majors last year. The Twins have lost at least 96 games in each of the last three seasons, thanks in most part to their woeful starting pitching. Last year the starters had an ERA of 5.26. Toronto was the next worse at 4.81. Only two of their starters had ERAs under 5.00, with Samuel Dedunos 3.83 leading the way and Kevin Correias pedestrian 4.18 next. The Twins have also inquired about veteran Bronson Arroyo among other available arms, and are expected to continue adding players to beef up the rotation. Matt Garza and Phil Hughes are among the other viable options, and the Twins also could bring back Mike Pelfrey for depth. Pernell McPhee Redskins Jersey . Patrick Sharp scored twice and Patrick Kane, Bryan Bickell and Nick Leddy also connected to lead Chicago to a 5-2 win over the Devils on Monday night. Pernell McPhee Jersey .com) - Driphus Jackson had three touchdown passes, including two in a 19-second span in the opening quarter, to guide Rice to a 30-6 rout of Fresno State at the Hawaii Bowl. http://www.authenticshopredskins.com/Authentic_Jonathan_Allen_Redskins_Jersey/ . He made that dream a reality Wednesday night. Olt, who grew up in Branford, Connecticut, attended UConn and made a nearly 2 1-2 hour trek to Boston a handful of times to watch the Red Sox, belted a two-run homer, one of four hit by Cubs in a 16-9 rout that completed a three-game interleague series sweep. Alex Smith Redskins Jersey . Steve has built a solid reputation throughout the years - first as a hockey player, then as an NHL general manager and now as a scout. DaRon Payne Redskins Jersey . Venable and Jeremy Hermida drove in three runs apiece, and the Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Sunday to snap a nine-game losing streak.(SportsNetwork.com) - After sweeping a home-and-home series from the rival Pittsburgh Penguins over the weekend, the Philadelphia Flyers will try to stay hot when they host the Chicago Blackhawks in Tuesdays inter-conference showdown at Wells Fargo Center. Watch the game live on TSN2 starting at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had lost two straight before beating the Penguins twice over the span of two days. Philadelphia hosted the Metropolitan Division leaders on Saturday and notched a 4-0 win behind a 25-save shutout from Steve Mason. The Flyers then headed across Pennsylvania to take a 4-3 decision in Pittsburgh on Sunday, with Mason picking up another win after making 20 saves. Matt Read scored twice for the Flyers on Saturday and Wayne Simmonds pumped home a pair of first-period power-play goals in Sundays triumph. The Flyers chased Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with three goals in the first 14 minutes on Sunday before holding on for the 4-3 win. "Our team will get confidence from this. Any time you can beat Pittsburgh twice, even twice in a row, its a big boost. Thats still a very good team over there," offered Flyers head coach Craig Berube. Brayden Schenn tallied at even strength on Sunday and Read added a short- handed marker. Flyers captain Claude Giroux contributed a pair of assists in his 400th NHL game. The productive weekend pushed Philadelphia into second place in the Metropolitan Division, but the Pens still hold a 15-point lead atop the division. The Flyers are one point ahead of both Columbus and the New York Rangers in the competitive battle for the divisions three automatic playoff spots. The Flyers are kicking off a four-game homestand on Tuesday and also will host Dallas, St. Louis and Los Angeles during the stay in South Philadelphia. Berubes club is 19-12-1 at Wells Fargo this season and has won six of its last eight games as the host. The Blackhawks are vissiting Philly for the second time since clinching a Stanley Cup title in the City of Brotherly Love on June 9, 2010.dddddddddddd Chicago won Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals at the Wells Fargo Center, as Patrick Kane scored in overtime to deliver the franchises first championship since 1961. The Blackhawks added their second title in four seasons last spring when it beat Boston in six games for the Cup. The Flyers are 2-1-0 against Chicago since that postseason encounter nearly four years ago, but the Blackhawks slammed Philly by a 7-2 score when the teams met in the Windy City on Dec. 11. Former Flyer Patrick Sharp had a goal and two assists to lead the way in the rout. The Blackhawks halted a two-game slide in their last trip to the ice, recording a 4-1 home win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. Marian Hossa scored a goal and assisted on two others in his return to Chicagos lineup. Hossa missed five consecutive games with an upper-body injury he suffered against Pittsburgh at Soldier Field on March 1. The Blackhawks went 2-3-0 in his absence. "(Hossa) changes the look and complexion of our team game. He made a big difference tonight," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. Ben Smith had a goal and one assist for Chicago. Duncan Keith collected two assists, giving him 300 for his career, and Corey Crawford earned the win with 19 saves. Chicago is currently third in the Central Division and one point behind the Colorado Avalanche, who play Tuesday evening in Montreal. The Blackhawks are 18-9-7 as the visiting team this season. Following tonights tilt in Philly, the club will play its next four games on home ice. Chicago will not have forward Brandon Saad for Tuesdays game, as he did not make the trip to Philadelphia due to an upper-body injury suffered on Sunday. Saad, who has 19 goals and 44 points this season, will miss his first game of the 2013-14 campaign. 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