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. Ken Boyer Jersey . 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. Red Schoendienst Jersey . He spent the rest of the game making up for lost playing time. Green scored a career-high 36 points, including eight in overtime, and the Phoenix Suns beat Denver 112-107 on Tuesday night to hand the Nuggets their fifth consecutive loss. Custom St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . -- Phil Mickelson will be watching the final two rounds of the Masters from home for the first time in 17 years. http://www.cardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Enos-Slaughter-Kids-Jersey/ .Y. - Phil Varone was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Rochester Americans edged the Toronto Marlies 3-2 on Sunday in American Hockey League action.The Indiana Pacers already have their backs against the wall when they face a must-win Game 2 against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After an alarming 101-93 loss to the eighth-seeded Hawks on Saturday, the top- ranked Pacers could fall down 2-0 with a setback on Tuesday. That would spell serious trouble considering the Hawks have won 14 of the last 16 in Atlanta. "Were upset, hungry, hurt - ready to go out there and compete," said Indianas Roy Hibbert. The Pacers shouldve been all of those things on Saturday. Indiana went 10-13 to finish the season and carried that bad play over to the postseason. One of those losses was a home setback to the Hawks on April 6, and while they pose some matchup problems for the Pacers, Atlanta was brilliant on Saturday. Indianapolis native Jeff Teague enjoyed his playoff homecoming, scoring 28 points with five assists to lead the Hawks to victory in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Teague had 14 of his game-high 28 points in the third quarter, which Atlanta dominated from start to finish to pull away after the teams played to a draw in the first half. The Hawks outscored Indiana 30-16 in the period. "I just wanted to be aggressive. We know theyre a good defensive team with a lot of length. We just wanted to attack, stay aggressive and hit the open guy," said Teague. "Weve got a lot of shot-makers. We know they are a long team who likes to clog the paint. But we want to stretch the floor against them.&quuot; Paul Millsap scored 25 points for the eighth-seeded Hawks, who are in the postseason for the seventh straight season. Vince Coleman Jersey. DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Korver donated 12 points apiece. Paul George had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, while Lance Stephenson scored 19 points and George Hill added 12. "It isnt the NCAA [tournament]. One game doesnt mean were out of the playoffs. We have to look at film and figure out how we can get four games," said Hill. It was 50-50 at the half, but the Hawks dominated the final 24 minutes. Millsaps three-point play set the tone for the Atlanta-dominated third period. Carroll followed with a 3-ball and Teague hit a short jumper for a 58-50 lead. The Pacers got back within two then Teague took over, scoring nine straight points following two Millsap free throws to give Atlanta its largest lead at 71-58. Another Millsap three-point play capped a 14-0 flurry, and Hibbert was whistled for a moving screen on the other end to a chorus of boos from the home fans. The fourth quarter was more of the same for the Hawks, who hit timely baskets and made enough stops to keep Indiana at arms length. The margin reached 20 points on multiple occasions before late 3-pointers from the Pacers brought the final tally into single digits. The Hawks were the fourth No. 8 Seed to win Game 1 by at least eight points. Two of the three others (Knicks in 1999, Warriors in 2007) went on to win the series. Game 3 will be Thursday night in Atlanta. ' ' '