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Neck surgery to extend Morneau’s stay on DL
By Jordan Schelling / MLB.com
“When we immobilized his wrist, it was the expectation and hopes of our doctors that the time off from swinging would also benefit his neck,” Twins head trainer Rick McWane said. “Last week we sent him to see another neck specialist; this was our desire, our team doctors’ desire. It wasn’t something that Justin was pushing.
“That doctor decided that the best course of action would be to have surgery.”
McWane said it was a non-invasive procedure, but Morneau, who has been on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 10, was expected to be out at least six weeks after Wednesday’s surgery.
McWane also emphasized several times that it was the decision of the team doctors to have Morneau see a neck specialist, and that Morneau would have preferred to fight through it. After seeing the specialist, it was determined that surgery was the best option.
Morneau also had the cast put back on his left wrist to keep it immobilized, which will help that injury heal while he’s unable to do anything baseball-related due to the neck surgery.
“The thing that kind of made the decision was hearing that it could be permanent weakness in the arm, and numbness in the fingers and all that stuff,” Morneau said. “I’d like that to go away. That’s the plan for the surgery, hopefully that’ll be the result and I’ll come out good and be ready for August and September.
“That’s what I think the decision came down to, being able to play late in the year instead of trying to find a way to push through it and not feel very good. I could break down and need the surgery later in the year and have to sit out again.”
With Morneau out, Luke Hughes and Michael Cuddyer will likely split most of the time at first base until he returns. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire did suggest that a number of others could be options there as well, including catchers Rene Rivera and Joe Mauer.
“I’m trying everything,” Gardenhire said. “I’ve talked to Joe about it, I’ve talked to everybody about it. We’re not afraid to move people around and keep his bat in the lineup on a more everyday basis. Playing a little here, playing a little there.”
After returning from a concussion that cost him much of last season, Morneau has struggled through the first three months of this season, fighting through neck and wrist injuries. The result has been a .225 batting average, with four home runs and 21 RBIs through 55 games.
Morneau missed five games in early April with an injury, and has not played since June 9 due to the wrist injury that landed him on the DL. McWane said that the neck injury and the concussion were not related in any way.
It’s the latest in a number of injuries for Morneau in recent years. He missed the last few weeks of the 2009 season with a stress fracture in his back, and the second half of 2010 with the concussion suffered on July 7 at Toronto.
“It’s just sort of, trying to figure out if I’m doing something wrong, if there’s something wrong mechanically, if there’s something wrong training, whatever,” Morneau said. “I’m trying to look at everything to see if there’s anything I can do differently, or better or less or whatever it is.
“As frustrating as it is for fans to sit there and go, ‘You know, I’d like to see this guy play,’ it’s a million times more frustrating for me to have to sit here and watch it on TV and not be a part of it.”
The latest setback for Morneau comes just as the Twins were seemingly on the verge of getting their entire Opening Day lineup back healthy.
Designated hitter Jim Thome rejoined the club in Milwaukee and is expected back soon, which should help replace some of the power lost without Morneau in the lineup.
“You want them to get back as quick as they can,” Thome said. “[But] I think when you look at our season, and how our season’s gone, you’ve really got to look at our young guys and how they’ve stepped up.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Twins notebook, 6/24
Nathan feeling rejuvenated after DL stint
MILWAUKEE — Joe Nathan said that he felt as good on Friday as he has since before undergoing Tommy John surgery last March.
“Now it’s just a matter of getting pitching strength and getting that experience back, and getting out there and throwing every day,” Nathan said. “That was my first time throwing back-to-back [days since the surgery]. The more times you get out there and do that, I think the better it’s going to get.”
Nathan was activated from the 15-day disabled list after Thursday’s game, as right-hander Jim Hoey was optioned to Triple-A Rochester.
In three rehab games for the Red Wings, Nathan allowed one unearned run on two hits while striking out five and walking one in three innings. Before going on the DL, Nathan went 1-1 with a 7.63 ERA, allowed 13 earned runs in 17 appearances for the Twins.
“The biggest difference has been the confidence to get back out there and feel fine,” Nathan said. “Confidence, I think, came with the way it felt after the scar tissue started breaking up. I think my arm speed has been a lot better.
“I’ve always talked about finishing pitches, and I felt like I wasn’t finishing too well early on. When I threw in Rochester, it just felt like I was able to get out in front more and finish a lot more pitches. Even ones that I missed, a lot of times they were down.”
Thome off DL, activated for Saturday
MILWAUKEE — Jim Thome was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list after the Twins’ 4-3 loss to the Brewers on Friday. Outfielder Rene Tosoni was optioned to Triple-A Rochester.
Thome had been on the 15-day disabled list since June 2 with a strained left quad, which was related to his strained oblique in early May that kept him out for three weeks. After five at-bats in a simulated game on Wednesday, Thome was deemed healthy enough to return.
He was evaluated after taking batting practice and running the bases prior to Friday’s game at Miller Park. After the game, the Twins announced he had been activated for Saturday’s game.
“I got out and moved around, and if all goes well I’ll be activated tomorrow,” Thome said before the game.
Thome was on the DL during the Twins recent hot streak, which he said was fun to watch, and got him excited to return.
With the previous two injuries being related, Thome was also optimistic about his chances to stay injury-free for much, if not all, for the rest of the season.
“I hope so, yeah, that’s the goal,” Thome said. “I’ve had a history of lower back issues in the past, so the frustrating part is any time you’re rehabbing anything, you want to make sure that everything’s good.”
Kubel, Span expected to return soon
MILWAUKEE — Injured outfielders Jason Kubel and Denard Span both had great days back in Minnesota on Friday, according to Twins head trainer Rick McWane.
Kubel had a “very good day” of running on Friday and was scheduled to run the bases on Saturday.
“He’s very close,” McWane said. “Very encouraging news about him, and Denard as well.”
Span played catch on Friday, hit off a tee and, more importantly, had no concussion symptoms.
It was the first time since the concussion that Span had no concussion symptoms after participating in baseball activities.
McWane also updated the status of reliever Kevin Slowey, who continues to rehab in Florida. Slowey will pitch on Saturday night for Class A Advanced Fort Myers.
“Tomorrow night, actually, he’s going to pitch for the Miracle,” McWane said. “Two to three innings for the Miracle tomorrow night in Bradenton.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Walk-off single nets Twins sweep of Padres
MINNEAPOLIS — An unlikely trio sparked the Twins’ seventh straight win on Sunday.
Entering the game, outfielder Rene Tosoni and third baseman Matt Tolbert had a combined batting average of just .188 (30-for-160). But they delivered back-to-back two-out doubles in the seventh to plate the tying and go-ahead runs.
With the game tied again in the ninth, Drew Butera singled to left, scoring Delmon Young from second base for the 5-4 Twins victory and the three-game sweep of the Padres.
“That’s that ‘Never Die’ attitude,” Butera said. “That’s the way we feel right now. We feel any situation in a game we can come back from.”
Butera, who entered the game batting .169, delivered the walk-off single thanks in large part to Tosoni and Tolbert. If not for Tosoni pinch-hitting for Rene Rivera in the eighth, Butera would never even have been in the game.
With the way things have been going for the Twins lately, it was fitting that a trio with only 50 hits among them on the season would come through in the clutch. What makes it even more impressive is that they did it against Mike Adams and Chad Qualls, two of the toughest relievers in the National League.
Making it even more improbable was the fact that Tosoni would have struck out if Rob Johnson had held on to a foul tip earlier in the at-bat.
“That was a big inning for them … after the error they came up with two clutch hits from guys at the bottom of the order,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “Good things are happening for them, they’re catching breaks and playing well.”
Tosoni said he wanted to make the most of his opportunity, and he did just that as his double went down the line and into the right field corner, scoring Luke Hughes, who had reached on a throwing error two batters earlier.
That at-bat, with the way Tosoni battled Adams, inspired Tolbert to come through with a double of his own.
“Tosoni got me all fired up,” Tolbert said. “Once I saw him hit [that] double, get into scoring position and he tied it up, I was like, ‘OK, now I’ve got to do my part.’
“He came off the bench cold and just battled his butt off.”
But after the Twins had taken the lead in the seventh, lefty reliever Glen Perkins struggled through the eighth, giving up three singles and an intentional walk, with an infield hit tying the game at 4.
Fundamentals came into play on the game-tying hit, as a single between second and first was fielded by Hughes, and Perkins did not get to first in time.
“I think Hughesy didn’t know that Lexi [Alexi Casilla] was playing hard pull,” said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. “He’s got to know that, in the first place. … But still, our pitcher’s got to cover first base, so a couple screwed up plays there.”
Alex Burnett relieved Perkins, tossing a perfect ninth for his second win of the season, and setting up the Twins for a walk-off victory.
Young got things started with an infield single deep in the hole between third and shortstop. After a sacrifice bunt and intentional walk, Butera delivered for the win.
After dishing out a number of shaving cream pies to the face following walk-off hits this season, Butera finally got one in return on Sunday from Hughes, his roommate.
“He got me good,” Butera said. “I had it coming to me, though. I kept getting everybody on the team, so I had it coming to me.”
After flirting with a no-hitter his last time out, Francisco Liriano started strong before a couple bad innings nearly dealt him a loss. Liriano gave up just three runs on eight hits over seven innings for his second straight quality start and his fourth in five starts.
But trouble came for the Twins lefty in the fourth and fifth, when the Padres strung together seven hits and plated three runs. All seven of the hits were singles. For the game, the Padres’ had 11 singles and zero hits for extra bases.
“It was a hard seven innings, the ball was kind of flying all over the place off him,” Gardenhire said. “But to his credit, he hung in there pretty damn good, and he battled.”
Minnesota won for the 14th time in 16 games for their sixth sweep of the season. It was the Twins’ fourth walk-off victory and the second of the homestand, which saw them go 8-1 against the Rangers, White Sox and Padres.
As they head to a pair of National League parks for the first time this season as the hottest team in baseball, the Twins are no longer in last place for the first time since May 8.
“When I was here earlier, I think I was here for two weeks and we won two games, and one of them was the no-hitter with Frankie,” Tosoni said. “It was my first call-up and it was kind of tough because we weren’t winning too many games.
“Now, it’s awesome, [everybody] carrying one another. Winning’s always better, everybody knows that, so it’s been pretty good.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Twins MVP dad was strong during difficult time
MINNEAPOLIS — In most cases of cancer, the focus tends to be on the person battling the disease, and rightfully so. Sometimes, a member of that person’s family deserves recognition too.
Don Wander fits that bill, as he took over the motherly duties usually reserved for his wife, Mary, as she battled multiple myeloma over the last seven years before passing away in January. Suddenly, he was the one writing grocery lists and folding sheets, among other things.
The Twins honored Wander before Sunday’s game against the Padres at Target Field, naming him their “MVP Dad” as a part of Major League Baseball’s “My Dad, My MVP” contest. As a part of MLB’s annual Father’s Day actitivies, one “MVP Dad” per club was selected, with many being cancer survivors.
Wander was recognized on the field during a pregame ceremony and posed for photos with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and former Twins catcher Terry Steinbach.
“You see these guys all the time, but you never ever think you’re going to get to actually be there by them,” Wander said. “That was very exciting.”
Wander, whose daughter, Andrea Kerfeld, entered him in the contest, said he didn’t even know about it until about a week and a half ago when she said he had some papers to sign.
Don and Mary were big Twins fans, and during her battle with cancer, it was one of the things that would allow them to forget about it all as they got lost in the games.
“We were here for Game 163 in 2009,” Wander said. “She had one room upstairs that’s just strictly Twins stuff.”
Baker strikes out 10 Padres in shutout win
MINNEAPOLIS — Scott Baker started it with a complete game in his last start. With an eight-inning outing on Saturday, he kept the Twins rolling on their winning streak.
For the third time in his career, Baker struck out 10 batters as the Twins won their season-high sixth straight game, 1-0, over the Padres.
Closer Matt Capps also pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 11th save of the season and his third in as many games, as the Twins secured their fifth straight series victory.
“If you like that kind of thing, 1-0 ballgames [are] very exciting,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Baker delivered yet another dominant start, tossing eight scoreless innings while allowing just four hits. He struck out eight of the first 13 batters he faced, reaching double-digit strikeouts for the first time since June 16, 2010, when he had a career-high 12 strikeouts against the Rockies.
After a season-high 112 pitches in a complete game last time out, Baker surpassed that with 115 pitches on Saturday, his most since July 19, 2009 against the White Sox. With the win, Baker improved to 5-4 with a 3.24 ERA.
Baker had a lot of success up in the strike zone, while also getting the Padres hitters to swing and miss 18 times out of 80 strikes.
“I’ve seen him before,” said Padres manager Bud Black, who was the Angels pitching coach through the 2006 season. “The fastball has a little bit of life at the end. He was pitching at the top of the [strike] zone. It takes a lot of discipline for a hitter to lay off that.
“He didn’t throw many pitches down the heart of the plate tonight.”
Things didn’t look good for Baker after he gave up a triple to Chris Denorfia to lead off the game. But that quickly changed, as Baker retired 23 of the next 27 batters he faced.
Baker struck out two batters in the first and followed that by striking out the side in the second. He added a strikeout in the third and two more in both the fourth and seventh innings.
But he insisted he was not trying to strike guys out.
“You make a good two-strike pitch,” Baker said. “When you strike guys out, that’s never good, at least it isn’t for me. It’s not a good idea. I tend to overthrow. So it’s just a matter of picking a good two-strike location, whether it’s an elevated fastball or breaking ball in the dirt or a fastball off the plate a little bit.”
Twins starters have posted a 1.73 ERA since June 2, giving up just 20 earned runs in 104 1/3 innings. Baker also helped lower the Twins’ ERA to a Major League-best 1.89.
Over the course of the Twins’ six-game winning streak, the starters have averaged eight innings with just five runs allowed in 48 innings for a 0.93 ERA.
Baker didn’t need much offense, and the Twins gave him just enough. Third baseman Danny Valencia homered for the second straight night, a second-inning shot that held up as the deciding run. It was Valencia’s seventh home run, and his team-leading 32nd RBI.
For the second time in three games, the Twins picked up the victory with a home run providing the only run in the game.
“It was nice to get that one. And it held up, which is great,” Valencia said. “Being able to come up with a hit like that helps you win the game, especially with the way things are going right now, is huge.”
Valencia has shown signs over the last few games of breaking out of his slump. After homering on May 21 in Arizona, Valencia batted .183 with five doubles and four RBIs in 22 games between home runs.
Over the last two nights, Valencia is 2-for-7 with a pair of long home runs and four RBIs.
Padres starter Tim Stauffer was impressive in his own right, limiting the Twins to just one run on six hits over seven innings. Valencia’s home run snapped Stauffer’s 16-inning scoreless streak, and dealt him his fifth loss.
His last run allowed came in the fifth inning on June 2 against the Astros. Despite his performance, he has received just 19 runs of support from the Padres offense, with Saturday marking the fifth game in which the offense did not score with Stauffer on the mound.
“I thought that Stauffer threw very well tonight,” Baker said. “It was just a matter of one pitch.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Twins notebook, 6/18
MINNEAPOLIS — When two runs allowed over six innings marks your team’s worst start in nearly a week, you know you must be doing something right.
One of the biggest keys to the Twins winning 12 of 14 games has been starting pitching. Since June 2, Twins starters entered Saturday having posted a 1.87 ERA, while allowing 20 earned runs in 96 1/3 innings with 61 strikeouts against 16 walks.
In the last time through the rotation, Twins starters averaged eight innings per start, including a pair of complete games by Scott Baker and Carl Pavano.
“Any time you have that working for you, it means you’re still in the games if your starter’s still in there late,” said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. “You want to see your starters going deep into games, and that means you’re having those opportunities to win things. Normally when they’re out there the game’s a pretty good one.”
In the month of June, the Twins had a Major League-best 2.01 ERA through Friday night. Not only is their ERA the best, it’s a half-run better than the Phillies’ second-best mark of 2.52 and nearly 1 1/2 runs better than the Mariners (3.45), who rank second in the American League.
On their current homestand, Twins starters have gone 5-1 in the first seven games, with a 1.82 ERA over 63 innings pitched. The only disappointing start came against the Rangers last Saturday when lefty Brian Duensing gave up seven runs (three earned) on seven hits in two innings.
Duensing made up for it by holding the Padres to two runs over six innings Friday night.
“Our starters have all kind of adjusted to what they need to do,” Gardenhire said. “They’re throwing the ball very well. Hopefully it’ll continue.”
Not surprisingly, the starters’ success has coincided with much better performances out of the Twins’ bullpen this month as well. Before right-hander Alex Burnett gave up a three-run homer Friday night, the bullpen had allowed just three runs in 28 2/3 innings in June.
Even with those three runs added, the Twins bullpen has posted a 1.71 ERA in June. A common theme with both the rotation and bullpen has been a significant reduction in the number of walks issued lately compared with early in the season.
“More so than anything else, I think it’s just a concerted effort to throw the ball over the plate,” Gardenhire said. “They all know that working ahead in the count, and not walking people, it’s been proven that it’s been successful here, and pretty much everywhere else in baseball.”
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