Tagged: Twins
Day Game finale in Brew Town
Coming off last night’s stunning 4-3 loss late to the Brewers, the Twins are back at Miller Park and trying to prevent their second straight Interleague series loss.
While the clubhouse was awfully quiet on Wednesday night after the game, the mood this morning was loose and back to normal. I think everyone knows that today’s contest will be a big test for the club to bounce back and get this roadtrip off to a good start. The Twins have struggled in day games this season, going 8-17 in them so far.
As for news this morning, Nick Punto is back in Minnesota to get his rib cage checked out. Manager Ron Gardenhire said that he expects Punto or another middle infielder to join the team in St. Louis on Friday for the start of the series with the Cardinals. That means the club is hoping to have some sort of news on Punto today about what exactly is causing the soreness in his ribs.
The problem for the Twins is that if Punto has to go on the DL, their middle infield options to replace him are limited. Alexi Casilla is currently sidelined with a groin injury at Triple-A Rochester, so Steve Tolleson might be the club’s other option. Tolleson has been hitting well — batting .327 in 25 games — but the reports are that he’s struggled some defensively for the Red Wings.
Right now, Gardenhire said that his backup at second base is Michael Cuddyer and that Cuddyer might even see a start at the position this weekend in St. Louis. Cuddyer seemed to welcome the opportunity when I talked to him this morning. He said he’d have to borrow an infielder’s glove since his is not with him on the trip, but he already started fielding some balls at second just in case.
Kevin Slowey is set to make his start on Saturday. He had a little stiffness following a throwing session on Wednesday, but pitching coach Rick Anderson said that Slowey made it through another session this morning without any problems. So the right-hander will be on the mound for Saturday’s day game in St. Louis, which is expected to be sweltering with temperates in the upper 90s.
Joe Mauer felt good to play today so he’s back in the lineup, but that means he’ll likely get Saturday’s day game in St. Louis as his day off. Gardenhire said he also checked with Joe Crede on Thursday morning but he was ready to play as well.
So here are today’s lineups for the rubber match:
Twins
Denard Span, CF
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Jason Kubel, LF
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Joe Crede, 3B
Matt Tolbert, 2B
Scott Baker, P
Brewers
Craig Counsell, 2B
Casey McGehee, 3B
Ryan Braun, LF
Prince Fielder, 1B
Corey Hart, RF
Mike Cameron, CF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Jason Kendall, C
Mike Burns, P
Punto headed back to Minnesota to be examined
Twins infielder Nick Punto will return to Minnesota on Thursday to have a precautionary MRI on his ribcage after he was kept out of the lineup again due to sore ribs.
Punto has been battling soreness in his ribs since diving headfirst into first base in Saturday night’s contest against the Astros. He started Tuesday’s game at Milwaukee but left in the seventh inning due to what trainers called cramping in his ribcage.
Punto said Wednesday that he’s been frustrated by the injury as his ribs are still feeling pretty sore. The club now hopes to determine the exact cause of why Punto’s ribs are sore.
Welcome Back, Denard Span
One of the first people I saw walking around on the field when I arrived at Miller Park this afternoon was Denard Span. The outfielder made it through his two rehab games at Triple-A Rochester alive — although not without a new bruise, this one on the palm of his left hand.
Span was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning of Rochester’s game on Tuesday night. His left thumb and the palm area around it are swollen and a bit sore today, but Span is planning to take batting practice with the team to see if he’ll be activated for Thursday’s series finale with the Brewers. Manager Ron Gardenhire said that he expects Span will be fine.
Jason Kubel is back in the lineup as he’s feeling a little better after battling through some cold and flu-like like symptoms. He’ll be in left field tonight and I’m sure that the heat won’t be a huge help to him. But he seemed confident that he’d be able to weather through it just fine.
Nick Punto said that his ribs are still sore and he is not in the lineup again. He left Tuesday night’s game with cramping in his ribs. Punto, who injured his ribs while diving head-first into first base on Saturday night, is listed as day-to-day.
With no batting cages or weight room currently at Miller Park due to the recent flooding, players have had to be a little more creative with their time. The Twins have a small room in the clubhouse with a batting tee that’s been constantly in use. But there have been a few more card games than usual — anything to pass the time, particularly for a team that usually spends a lot of time in the batting cage.
Here are today’s lineups:
Twins
Carlos Gomez, CF
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Jason Kubel, LF
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Joe Crede, 3B
Matt Tolbert, 2B
Nick Blackburn, P
Brewers
Craig Counsell, 2B
Mat Gamel, 3B
Ryan Braun, LF
Prince Fielder, 1B
Corey Hart, RF
Mike Cameron, CF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Jason Kendall, C
Braden Looper, P
SI Cover boy, Joe Mauer and Tuesday Lineups: Twins at Brewers
Before I get into today’s baseball news, a little note to Twins fans to check out this week’s Sports Illustrated. Joe Mauer is donning the cover for the second time (he also did so in Aug. 2006). Tom Verducci explores the catcher’s chances of becoming the first player to hit .400 since Ted Williams did in 1941.
As for Twins news today in Milwaukee, manager Ron Gardenhire had to wait a little while to post his lineup today as he was checking up on the health status of a few players. Justin Morneau is back in the lineup after getting a day off on Sunday due to “general soreness.” Nick Punto also returns after missing Sunday’s game with bruised right ribs. Jason Kubel, who left Sunday’s game with flu-like symptoms, is not in the lineup with what the team is calling “general illness.”
The Twins got positive news on Denard Span, who went 1-for-4 in his first rehab game with Triple-A Rochester on Monday night. Gardenhire said that Span didn’t have any recurrences of dizziness, so it sounds like he’ll be activated on Thursday as expected.. (That is of course if everything goes OK in the outfielder’s second rehab game tonight).
The newest member of the Twins bullpen, Bobby Keppel, is also here at Miller Park. He’s expected to be another option for the sixth or seventh inning now that Luis Ayala is no longer there. Speaking of Ayala, Gardenhire let it be known today that the reliever asked for a trade three weeks ago and that helped lead to his departure. More on that later.
Here are today’s lineups:
Twins
Carlos Gomez, CF
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Joe Crede, 3B
Delmon Young, LF
Nick Punto, 2B
Francisco Liriano, P
Brewers
Jason Kendall, C
Casey McGehee, 2B
Ryan Braun, LF
Prince Fielder, 1B
Corey Hart, RF
Mike Cameron, CF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Bill Hall, 3B
Jeff Suppan, P
Water-logged Miller Park is in working order
Before coming to Milwaukee, I’d heard about the water damage that was suffered at Miller Park but I had no idea the extent of it until I got here. Pieces of drywall were missing throughout the service level of the ballpark as certain areas were flooded with nearly a foot and a half of water in the wee hours of Friday morning.
A huge pat on the back should go to the Brewers and their staff for getting the ballpark in working order in time for this series. All new carpeting was in the visiting clubhouse and there was also all new furniture. The club did everything it could to get things in working order. Of course not everything was back in place.There is still drywall missing at the bottom of the walls throughout the clubhouse as well, but that’s certainly understandable considering the situation.
The water damage affected the usual routine for the Brewers and the Twins. Both teams were asked not to arrive at the ballpark before 3:00 p.m. CT so the Twins usual early batting practice was canceled. There was also no batting cages or a weight room due to the water damage. Brewers GM Doug Melvin and Assistant GM Gord Ash met with the Twins on Friday afternoon to explain what was going on and assure them there are no health hazards. And knowing the difficult situation, the Twins appreciated all of the efforts being made.
“They’ve done a super job trying to get it ready for us here,” Gardenhire said. “The best they can. You just have to understand what’s happening here, which we do…It was really nice of them to come down and make themselves available for questions and reassure us about a few things.”
A couple of days ago Melvin said he called Twins GM Bill Smith to let him know what was going on with the ballpark and what to expect when the club arrived on Tuesday. While he was being serious about the issue, Melvin couldn’t help but have a little fun with Smith.
“I called Bill Smith the other day and told him [to
tell players] not to come to the park until 3 o’clock,” Melvin
said. “I told him Joe Mauer didn’t have to come until
Friday.”
Adding to the list of sidelined players
Jason Kubel left Sunday’s series finale against the Astros following the third inning due to an illness, the team announced.
Kubel
had started the game in right field with Michael Cuddyer filling in at
first base for Justin Morneau, who got his first day off in nearly two
years on Sunday. Due to Kubel falling ill, Cuddyer moved back to right
field for the start of the fourth inning and Brian Buscher was inserted
at first base.
In addition to Morneau getting a day off due to
general soreness, Nick Punto was on the bench for Sunday’s contest with
sore right ribs. Punto bruised his ribs while diving head-first into
first base on Saturday night.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said
that he didn’t believe the injury would result in a disabled list stint
for Punto, but that the injury will take only a couple days to get
better. The infielder said he was still pretty sore on Sunday but he
hopes the club’s off day on Monday will give the injury enough time to
heal.
“You never think about that,” Punto said of suffering
bruised ribs on the play. “The dangers in diving head-first are hands
or shoulders. It’s just frustrating.”
Punto exits game with bruised left ribs
Nick Punto was taken out of Saturday’s contest vs. the Astros after the sixth inning due to bruised left ribs.
It’s unclear exactly when Punto injured himself, but one guess is that it occurred when he dove head-first into first base in the fifth inning.
Punto was replaced by Matt Tolbert at second base for the start of the seventh inning.
I’ll have more on the injury after the game.
UPDATE: Punto did indeed injure himself on that head-first dive. Manager Ron Gardenhire said Punto bruised the ribs while hitting the base. Gardenhire didn’t know how serious the injury is. Punto is listed as day-to-day and the club will see how he’s feeling on Sunday.
Friday Lineups: Twins vs. Astros
When I left the Metrodome yesterday evening after the Twins 5-1 win over the Pirates, I noticed that there were some fans gathered outside the park with coolers and tents. When I got to the Dome this afternoon I realized why — it’s Kent Hrbek bobblehead day. There was a huge crowd of people gathered around the Metrodome for their chance to be one of the first 10,000 fans to get one. It always amazes me the draw that a bobblehead can have.
As for baseball news, it’s been pretty quiet so far this afternoon with most of the players getting in early work. So I’ll have more updates later.
UPDATES: Denard Span was on the field, taking some early batting practice and shagging balls in the outfield. He’s starting to feel better but the club wants to see him get through this weekend before deciding whether he’ll go on a rehab assignment at the start of the week. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire reiterated that he’d prefer to see Span get some games in before he’s activated.That’s so the club can see if the symptoms return for Span during an actual game — where he’s playing full speed and the adrenaline can kick in.
Joe Mauer, who has been battling cold-like symptoms for over a week, told Gardenhire that he was feeling much better on Friday. The hope is Mauer’s day off from the lineup on Thursday will help speed up his recovery.
Here are the lineups.
Astros
Michael Bourn, CF
Jeff Keppinger, 3B
Miguel Tejada, SS
Carlos Lee, DH
Lance Berkman, 1B
Hunter Pence, RF
Ivan Rodriguez, C
Kaz Matsui, 2B
Darin Erstad, LF
Pitching: Roy Oswalt, RHP
Twins
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Jason Kubel, DH
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Joe Crede, 3B
Delmon Young, LF
Carlos Gomez, CF
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: Kevin Slowey, RHP
Joe Mauer gets a rest
Joe Mauer has been battling cold and flu-like symptoms since the team was in Oakland last week and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire finally felt it was time to give the catcher a rest. The skipper said that Mauer’s bat looked a bit slow on Wednesday night. So the club’s .425 hitter is out of the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Pirates.
Instead of Mauer in the DH spot for the day game, Brian Buscher gets the nod. Jason Kubel is in left field with Delmon Young getting a break today as well. Left-handers are batting .346 off Pirates starter Zach Duke while righties are hitting just .237.
Day games haven’t exactly been kind to the Twins so far this year. They are just 7-16 in day games this season while batting .246 in those contests. So they’ll see if they can end this series on a positive note, picking up not only a day win but also a series win.
Here are today’s lineups:
Pirates
Andrew McCutchen, CF
Nyjer Morgan, LF
Eric Hinske, DH
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Andy LaRoche, 3B
Brandon Moss, RF
Jason Jaramillo, C
Ramon Vazquez, 2B
Jack Wilson, SS
Pitching: Zach Duke, LHP
Twins
Carlos Gomez, CF
Brendan Harris, SS
Justin Morneau, 1B
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Jason Kubel, LF
Joe Crede, 3B
Brian Buscher, DH
Mike Redmond, C
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: Nick Blackburn, RHP
Wednesday Lineups: Twins vs. Pirates
A quiet day in terms of news pre-game. My associate reporter, Tyler, is doing the early slugs so you can read about how Denard Span feels about finally getting a diagnosis to his dizziness on the site in a little bit.
UPDATES: Like I said earlier, it was a quiet day in terms of news but there was an entertaining exchange on the field during batting practice.
A couple of the Vikings defensive coaches came down to watch the Twins take BP. It was their first time on the field when it was set up for baseball. They took the chance to talk with some of the Twins coaches and players, including manager Ron Gardenhire, Michael Cuddyer and hitting coach Joe Vavra.
While Gardenhire was chatting with the coaches in front of the dugout, he called Joe Mauer over to have him meet them. But he joked quickly that the catcher better head back to work, as it was Mauer’s turn to bat in the cage. Seems like Gardenhire didn’t want to risk losing his All-Star catcher if the talk turned to the possibility of Mauer returning to football. After all, even the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, joked that he was going to sign an executive order requiring the St. Paul native to be the Vikings QB in addition to catching for the Twins.
“They talked about if they don’t get [Brett] Favre, they’re coming [for Mauer],” Gardenhire kidded in reference to the Vikings coaches. “I love you Vikings but you are not getting my guy. He’s playing baseball.”
Pirates
Andrew McCutchen, CF
Nyjer Morgan, LF
Freddy Sanchez, 2B
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Delwyn Young, RF
Eric Hinske, DH
Andy LaRoche, 3B
Robinson Diaz, C
Jack Wilson, SS
Pitching: Ian Snell, RHP
Twins
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Jason Kubel, DH
Joe Crede, 3B
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Delmon Young, LF
Carlos Gomez, CF
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: Francisco Liriano, LHP
Kelly's Corner 