A Schelling For Your Thoughts

MINNEAPOLIS — Jason Kubel left Friday’s 7-6 loss to the Indians with left foot pain, and could be shut down for the rest of the season.

Kubel went 0-for-2 in his first two at-bats before Rene Tosoni entered as a pinch-hitter for the Twins’ designated hitter in the fifth inning. Tosoni brought home two runs with a deep fly ball that was dropped by Grady Sizemore for an error, but went 0-for-3 on the night, including a strikeout to end the game.

“Kubel is not good,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He was hurting. I think you saw in the first at-bat he swung at one and it hurt him, and the second at-bat, it was really barking pretty good. So, that’s not a good sign. We’ll let you know over the next few days, but it doesn’t look good for Kubel.”

Kubel had previously been plagued by a sprained left foot that sidelined him from early June to late July, and it had been bothering him again recently. Kubel said the injury never fully went away, and that he plans on meeting with the training staff to see if he can return again this year.

“Everything is frustrating about this year,” Kubel said. “It hasn’t been getting any better and I haven’t been getting any relief from it. I think it’s been showing because my at-bats keep getting worse and worse. It’s just not helping at all.”