Another day in a pennant race: Twins at Royals 9/26

The Twins will try for their fifth straight win and their 11th win in their last 12 games when they face Royals left-hander Lenny DiNardo on Saturday night in Kansas City.

Scott Baker will take the hill for the Twins. Baker has been one of the Twins better starters in the second half and they hope that he can deliver a strong outing again in yet another must-win situation for the club.

No huge news during manager Ron Gardenhire’s pre-game session. Only one lineup change today. Brendan Harris gets the nod as the DH. Gardenhire said yesterday that he likes the way Harris has been swinging against left-handed pitching.

Gardenhire also said that he might start Jose Morales behind the plate during Sunday’s afternoon contest with the Royals, allowing Joe Mauer to DH. That way he can keep Mauer’s bat in the lineup but still give his everyday catcher a needed rest for his legs and body.

One interesting note I didn’t get in my story last night was that the Twins are closing in on having four players with at least 90 RBIs — which would mark the first time in club history that’s happened. Jason Kubel and Joe Mauer each collected their 90th RBI on Friday night and Justin Morneau has 100 RBIs for the season. Michael Cuddyer currently is sitting at 88 RBIs after driving in two runs last night.

Twins (79-73)
2nd place in AL Central, 2 games back
Denard Span, CF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Jason Kubel, RF
Michael Cuddyer, 1B
Delmon Young, LF
Brendan Harris, DH
Matt Tolbert, 3B
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: RHP Scott Baker (13-9, 4.43)

Royals (63-91)
4th place in AL Central, 19.5 games back
Willie Bloomquist, RF
Mitch Maier, LF
Billy Butler, 1B
Mike Jacobs, DH
Alberto Callaspo, 2B
Brayan Pena, C
Alex Gordon, 3B
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
Josh Anderson, CF
Pitching: LHP Lenny Dinardo (0-1, 8.22)

A reminder you can follow me on Twitter  @kellythesier

Let’s Go Go White Sox?

It’s not very often that you see Twins fans rooting on the Chicago White Sox. OK, it almost NEVER happens.

But with the White Sox being the only team left to play the Tigers this season other than the Twins, Minnesota fans have to hope that Chicago can pick up its fair share of wins over Detroit down the stretch.

That’s why it’s no surprise that Gordon Beckham and Jake Peavy became instant favorites in Minnesota on Friday night. Beckham hit a two-run home run and Peavy threw seven scoreless innings to take a 2-0 win over Detroit in the series opener, cutting the Tigers lead to two games over the Twins in the AL Central with nine games left to play.

“I just got a text from someone saying the Twins fans are happy,” said Beckham after the contest.

While the White Sox have been eliminated from the race, they certainly understand the importance of them continuing to play hard over the final stretch of games as they can have an impact on the AL Central winner.

“We’re out, but we have to play very important games against Detroit,”
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “It’s not an important game for
us, but I think we continue to go out there and we continue to have a
job to do and win as many games as we can. We should prepare ourselves
mentally every day. We’ve got to continue to play the same way we
should be playing.”

And the White Sox have become aware that they can make a few more friends in Minnesota if they continue to win.

“As a matter of fact, I’ve got a guy who dates a girl in Minneapolis,
and I just got quite a bit of texts, and he said, ‘You guys are
popular,'” said Peavy. “He said we’re heroes there tonight.”

Liriano to start Sunday

It’s now official: Francisco Liriano will start Sunday’s series finale against the Royals.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire confirmed the news during his pre-game media session on Friday. He said that Liriano will likely throw somewhere between 60-80 pitches, but it will depend on how the left-hander is looking on the mound.

“More than anything else, we have to see how he’s feeling and how he’s doing physically,” Gardenhire said of Liriano.

Sunday will mark Liriano’s first start since Aug. 17, when he lasted two innings in Texas. Right after that start, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left arm fatigue. Liriano then moved to the bullpen when was he was activated earlier this month. In three relief appearances, Liriano posted a 4.76 ERA.

Gardenhire said that the coaching staff wanted to give Liriano, who is 5-12 with a 5.75 ERA this season, a chance to pitch again once he rested his tired arm. The plan was to give him a few more innings out of the ‘pen to regain his confidence and they never really intended on moving him back into the rotation. But with the club currently in a pennant race and short on starting options, the situation called for Liriano to get another opportunity, Gardenhire said.

“[Jeff] Manship was a little bit overwhelmed,” Gardenhire said. “I
don’t think Frankie will be overwhelmed at all. He’s going to let it
fly. I don’t think the game itself is going to get to him whether he throws well or not. Because he’s not going to feel the pressure…I think he gives us a better chance.”

Welcome Back, Denard Span

Denard Span arrived at Kauffman Stadium on Friday afternoon to take part in early batting practice and see if he was indeed ready to return to the lineup four days after getting hit in the back of the helmet with a pitch.

Span didn’t do any hitting in early BP, but he ran around on the field and stood in for some bullpen sessions. Everything went well enough that he’s back manning center field and hitting leadoff for the first time since Monday in Chicago.

“I don’t feel dizzy or anything like that,” Span said.”I feel good and ready to go.”

Span stood in on two bullpen sessions — one by Francisco Liriano and another by Nick Blackburn — so he got to see both left-handed and right-handed pitching. The real test, he said, was seeing Liriano throw since it was left-hander Randy Williams who hit him with the 91 mph fastball.

“It was good just to see the ball coming out of his hand and at game speed,” Span said. “So tonight if a lefty does come in later in the game, I’ll be ready hopefully.”

After getting hit by the pitch, Span missed the final two contests in Chicago and then got another day of rest during the Twins’ off day on Thursday. Span said he never would have wanted to get that much time off if he hadn’t gotten hit by the pitch, but the three-day break has provided some benefits.

“I definitely feel a bit more fresh,” Span said. “Even in the cage, my hands felt a little quicker than they usually do at this time of the year.”

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has said that the biggest challenge for a hitter is getting back in the batter’s box for the first time after he’s been hit in the head. Since this was the first time it’s ever happened to Span, he doesn’t know exactly how he’ll react.

His hope is just that he can focus like it’s any normal at-bat.

“I’ve been praying that everything goes fine and any fears I have, once I get back in the box, won’t be going through my head,” Span said.

Here comes the next test: Twins at Royals 9/25

Following a day off on Thursday, the Twins now find themselves sitting three games back of the Tigers in the AL Central race.

The good news for the Twins is that their leadoff hitter, Denard Span, is back in the lineup for the first time since Monday when he was hit in the back of the helmet by a pitch. Span arrived for early batting practice and stood in on the bullpen sessions of Francisco Liriano and Nick Blackburn, giving him a chance to see both left-handed and right-handed pitching. Span said he feels ready to go and after a few days off, his body feels especially rested at this late point in the season.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said that Francisco Liriano is officially the starter for Sunday’s series finale in Kansas City. He’ll be matched up against Royals ace and Cy Young candidate Zack Greinke.

But first up for the Twins is a big test tonight against right-hander Robinson Tejada. In four starts since being moved to the rotation from the bullpen earlier this month, Tejada is 3-0 with a 0.81 ERA. That includes two wins over the Tigers.

Also an interesting note from the Elias Sports Bureau: Dating back to Aug. 31, right-handed hitters are a combined 0-for-39 against Tejada. It’s the longest consecutive hitless at-bats by right-handed batters against any pitcher this season.

Twins (79-73)
2nd place in AL Central, 3 games back
Denard Span, CF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Jason Kubel, RF
Michael Cuddyer, 1B
Delmon Young, LF
Jose Morales, DH
Matt Tolbert, 3B
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: RHP Carl Pavano (12-11, 4.82)

Royals (63-90)
4th place in AL Central, 19.5 games back
Willie Bloomquist, RF
Mitch Maier, LF
Billy Butler, 1B
Mike Jacobs, DH
Alberto Callaspo, 2B
John Buck, C
Alex Gordon, 3B
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
Josh Anderson, CF
Pitching: RHP Robinson Tejada (4-1, 2.94)

A reminder you can follow me on Twitter  @kellythesier

Twins go for sweep

Tonight the Twins are trying for their first three-game sweep over the White Sox in Chicago since July 24-26, 2006

They’ll be trying for the feat without Denard Span for a second consecutive day. The club’s leadoff hitter said he was feeling better on Wednesday, two days after getting hit in the head by a pitch, but he was not in the lineup. Span planned on taking batting practice with the club and preparing himself as if he was playing. He expects to be back on the field for Friday’s series opener in Kansas City.

Sounds like Francisco Liriano will be the starter on Sunday in Kansas City. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was pleased enough with what he saw from Liriano in his 2 1/3 inning relief outing last night that the left-hander will get the nod in the series finale with the Royals.

Just a note that the Twins are expected to face Zack Greinke in both of their remaning series with the Royals. Greinke will pitch Sunday in KC and he’s also in line to start on Oct. 3 vs. Minnesota.

Twins (78-73)
2nd place in AL Central, 2 1/2 games back
Carlos Gomez, CF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Jason Kubel, RF
Michael Cuddyer, 1B
Delmon Young, LF
Brendan Harris, DH
Matt Tolbert, 3B
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: LHP Brian Duensing (4-1, 3.22)

White Sox (73-79)
3rd place in AL Central, 8 games back
Jayson Nix, 2B
Gordon Beckham, 3B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Paul Konerko, 1B
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Jermaine Dye, RF
Carlos Quentin, LF
Alex Rios, CF
Tyler Flowers, DH
Pitching: LHP Mark Buehrle (12-9, 3.84)

A reminder you can follow me on Twitter  @kellythesier

Span out of lineup, Gomez leading off

Denard Span is not in the lineup after getting hit in the head by a pitch in the sixth inning of last night’s contest. Carlos Gomez gets the start in center field and will lead off. I’ll have more on Span once we go into the clubhouse.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is going for career win No. 700 tonight against the White Sox.

There is certainly going to be plenty of scoreboard watching going on tonight. The Tigers open up a three-game series in Cleveland and with the Twins only 2 1/2 games back, they will be interested to see how those contests go.

Here are today’s lineups:

Twins (77-73)
2nd place in AL Central, 2 1/2 games back
Carlos Gomez, CF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Jason Kubel, RF
Michael Cuddyer, 1B
Delmon Young, LF
Brendan Harris, DH
Matt Tolbert, 3B
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: RHP Jeff Manship (0-1, 5.31)

White Sox (73-78)
3rd place in AL Central, 7 games back
Scott Podsednik, CF
Gordon Beckham, 3B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Paul Konerko, 1B
Mark Kotsay, DH
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Carlos Quentin, LF
Chris Getz, 2B
Alex Rios, RF
Pitching: LHP John Danks (12-9, 3.59)

A reminder you can follow me on Twitter  @kellythesier

A few more things…

I touched on a few of these subjects in the tidbits section of my preview today but wanted to expand a little on them.

Rotation for Detroit series: The Twins have made sure that their four best starting pitchers will be pitching during next week’s four-game set at Detroit.

The Twins have an off day on Thursday. While they are not skipping anyone’s start on that day, they are using the extra day to swap the starts of Jeff Manship and Nick Blackburn.

Manship is starting in tonight in Chicago and would have be in line to start Monday vs. Detroit had the Twins pushed everyone back a day. Instead, Manship will start on his regular rest on Sunday in Kansas City while Blackburn will be moved back a day to start the series opener in Motown.

Changes at Minor League level: The Twins will have a new manager and a new hitting coach at Triple-A Rochester next season.

Twins director of Minor Leagues Jim Rantz said Monday that Stan Clibrun and Rich Miller were informed that their contracts would not be renewed for the 2010 season. Cliburn had managed the Rochester Red Wings since 2006, while Miller took over for hitting coach Riccardo Ingram on July 1 when Ingram had to leave the team to take care of a medical issue.

“Obviously Stan has been with us a long time and I respect his track record but I think it was time to make a change and kind of go in a different direction,” Rantz said. “We’re just going to try to get better at the Triple-A level…I just think it’s time to make a change.

Other moves among the Twins Minor League coaching staff are expected to take place and it’s likely that both positions at Rochester will be filled from within the organization.

Perkins to see Dr. Lewis Yocum on Wednesday

Left-hander Glen Perkins is going to see noted orthopedic specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum on Wednesday for yet another opinion on his shoulder.

 “I think everybody wants to be reassured that he’s going to be fine,” Twins general manager Bill Smith said. “I had a good talk with his agent and talked to Glen the other day. Ultimately I think we are all looking for the same thing.”

The visit comes as the players’ union is currently looking into whether a grievance should be filed against the Twins on Perkins’ behalf. At issue is the lost service time after Perkins was not called up to the big leagues following his rehab from shoulder tendinitis.

Perkins had been on pace to qualify for salary arbitration as a “Super-2,” an exception made for players who fall just days short of the three-year arbitration mark.

This will be the second time that Perkins has seen Yocum this year. He was examined by the noted specialist during a July series with the Angels in Anaheim after complaining that he was battling discomfort in his shoulder the previous day during a rough start at Oakland. It was one of a few times that Perkins startled the coaching staff with news that he was hurt following a poor start. At the time of the previous visit, Yocum diagnosed Perkins with tendinitis.

The make-or-break roadtrip begins: Twins at White Sox 9/21

The Twins critical 10-game, 11-day roadtrip kicks off tonight in Chicago against the White Sox. Currently Minnesota sits 3 games behind the first-place Tigers in the American League Central race. They’ll have a chance tonight to pick up a half-game as Detroit is idle today — their final off day of the season.

While many people have written off Chicago as they now sit 6 1/2 games back of the Tigers in the division, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire isn’t so quick to do the same. He reminded everyone that the White Sox still have these three games to try to make up ground on the Twins and six left with Detroit as well.

“I don’t think the Sox are quitting right now,” Gardenhire said. “When you get a chance to play the other teams that are aehad you, that always makes you feel a little bit better about it. I’m sure the Sox are thinking that too

“They’ve got as much life as we do. We’re just a little closer. They’ve got six games with [Detroit]. We’ve got four.”

Also, the Twins aren’t skipping any starters with the off day but it sounds like they’ll make one alteration. Gardenhire said that the four big guys will be starting against Detroit in that series — meaning everyone besides Jeff Manship. So Manship will start tomorrow vs. Chicago and then he’ll stay on five days to pitch on Sunday at Kansas City. Nick Blackburn will be pushed back a day to start Monday, the first game of the series in Detroit.

Here are today’s lineups:

Twins (76-73)
2nd place in AL Central, 3 games back
Denard Span, CF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Jason Kubel, RF
Michael Cuddyer, 1B
Delmon Young, LF
Jose Morales, DH
Matt Tolbert, 3B
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: RHP Nick Blackburn (10-11, 4.34)

White Sox (73-77)
3rd place in AL Central, 6 1/2 games back
Scott Podsednik, CF
Gordon Beckham, 3B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Paul Konerko, DH
Mark Kotsay, 1B
Jermaine Dye, RF
Carlos Quentin, LF
Chris Getz, 2B
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Pitching: RHP Daniel Hudson (0-0, 4.76)

A reminder you can follow me on Twitter  @kellythesier