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Mauer homers, ramps up rehab work
MINNEAPOLIS — Twins catcher Joe Mauer caught his third straight game for Fort Myers on Friday, marking the first time he had caught three days in a row during his rehab. In his first at-bat, he hit a three-run home run.
Mauer, who is on the 60-day disabled list with bilateral leg weakness, was scheduled for a full workout on Saturday before catching again Sunday, after which he’ll be eligible to return.
“I talked to him today, he feels great,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Arm feels good, his body feels good after catching two days. … He actually says he’s feeling really good, better than he has in a long time.”
Gardenhire said they would decide on the next step in Mauer’s rehab process after he caught on Sunday.
Tsuyoshi Nishioka led off and played shortstop at Fort Myers for the third straight game as well on Friday. Nishioka went 1-for-3 with a stolen base Thursday night.
Gardenhire said he had talked on the phone with Nishioka on Friday as well, discussing his likely trip to Triple-A Rochester before rejoining the Twins.
“It’s a little faster game at Triple-A than in the lower Minor Leagues,” Gardenhire said. “We’ll see what happens from there. They tell me he’s been moving around really good out there, hopefully that’s the case.”
Reliever Kevin Slowey (abdominal strain) took a day off from throwing Friday. His return date is still TBD.
Twins head trainer Rick McWane said Jason Kubel continued to make progress, hitting in the cage on Friday and progressing his running. He is eligible to return next Friday.
Joe Nathan is still scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday and will fly to Fort Myers later Saturday afternoon. Lefty reliever Glen Perkins will throw one inning Saturday in Toledo for Triple-A Rochester.
McWane also gave an update on center fielder Denard Span, who continues to receive treatment for his whiplash and concussion symptoms.
“He’s getting treatment on his neck,” McWane said. “He’s also going to go continue testing for his concussion symptoms and doing balance work.”
Designated hitter Jim Thome had an epidural Friday morning, and said after the Twins’ 9-2 loss to the Rangers that he hopes to begin baseball activities in a few days.
“It was just a little of pain in my lower back and the inflammation around my disk had to calm down,” said Thome, who received a similar shot in 2002. “So that was the process and that’s why they went in and did what they did. So we’ll see where we’re at. The discomfort has definitely calmed down, so that’s a good thing.”
Twins notebook, 6/9
Thome may resume activities this weekend
MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Thome’s quadriceps injury is related to his previous oblique injury, Twins head trainer Rick McWane said on Thursday.
After undergoing an MRI on his quad, back and hip, it was determined the pain in Thome’s quad was being caused by his back.
“We’ve consulted with our back specialists and some other ones,” McWane said. “The best course of action is [Friday] [Thome] is going to have an epidural in his back, and that should take care of the symptoms he’s having in his quad.”
If the treatment works, Thome’s baseball activities will progress this weekend.
First baseman Justin Morneau also underwent an MRI on his wrist, which showed some fluid, but no structural damage. McWane said the Twins would let Morneau continue to play as tolerated.
Twins reliever Joe Nathan (elbow soreness) threw a bullpen session on Thursday that went “great,” McWane said. Nathan is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Saturday.
“If it goes well on Saturday, he’ll also go to Fort Myers [Fla.], probably Sunday,” McWane said.
Kevin Slowey (abdominal strain) continued to progress as well, throwing long toss on Thursday up to 120 feet with no complaints.
On the 15-day disabled list with a left foot sprain, Jason Kubel hit in the cage on Thursday and did some agility drills. McWane said Kubel felt “OK,” and that they would progress his baseball activities through the weekend.
Lefty reliever Glen Perkins (strained right oblique) threw a bullpen session on Thursday and is scheduled for a rehab stint with Triple-A Rochester beginning this weekend.
“[Perkins] is headed to Toledo tomorrow,” McWane said. “He’s going to pitch an inning on Saturday.”
Span placed on seven-day DL with concussion
MINNEAPOLIS — After meeting with team doctors and a specialist on Thursday, center fielder Denard Span was placed on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion.
Outfielder Rene Tosoni was recalled from Triple-A Rochester and will join the Twins before Friday’s game against the Rangers.
Span suffered the concussion last Friday during a home-plate collision with Royals catcher Brayan Pena, and has been dealing with head and neck issues ever since. He said he was feeling better on Thursday, but there were still some lingering effects.
“I feel better than I did [Wednesday], just taking one day at a time,” Span said. “My neck’s still a little bit sore, and I still get dizzy here and there.”
After flying back from Cleveland to Minnesota on Tuesday night because of the headaches, dizziness and a stiff neck, Span saw a specialist at a balance and dizziness center.
Span spent four hours going through a number of tests on Thursday.
“All different types of tests, letting them spin me around in chairs and throwing on goggles and all this crazy stuff,” Span said. “They wore me out today.”
Span said the symptoms are similar to the vestibular neuritis he dealt with in 2009, and that those symptoms have never fully gone away. Doctors told Span that some of the symptoms he had in 2009 had flared up again after being triggered by the concussion last week.
Over the last couple days, Span said he would occasionally feel “spaced out,” or like the “room was moving a little bit.”
“It’s not all the time, it just comes and goes,” he said. “There have been times when I’m at home relaxing and it comes, and sometimes I’m relaxing and I don’t feel it. I think little things, like maybe bright lights every now and then or if I’ve got a lot of people around me like now, I start to feel a little funny.”
The seven-day DL was implemented this season to give teams more options when dealing with concussions.
With so many other players already injured already this season, it helps the Twins bring up an extra outfielder without having to sideline Span any longer than necessary.
“If I’m healthy in seven days I come off, if I’m healthy in eight days, I come off,” Span said. “There’s a lot more flexibility for the player to come back. With a concussion everybody heals different and you just never know. I could feel better tomorrow. You just never know.”
Gardy in no hurry to end Nishioka’s rehab
MINNEAPOLIS — Tsuyoshi Nishioka could be ready to return as soon as early next week, but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire wants him to play at Triple-A Rochester first.
After playing nine innings on Wednesday night for the Miracle, Nishioka was scheduled to play nine innings at shortstop for Class A Fort Myers again on Thursday. Batting leadoff, Nishioka went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored while also striking out twice.
Nishioka was eligible to return from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday, but Gardenhire has no problem giving him a few more days on his rehab assignment before he returns.
“I don’t want him rushed up here,” Gardenhire said. “He’s not been swinging great, so I want to see him go full out. My preference is for him to go to Triple-A and play whatever, three, four more ball games. Just to see how he’s handling himself and make sure he’s on track, make sure he’s ready to step in and play right up here.”
Defense hurts Twins in loss to Angels
MINNEAPOLIS — Some games this year, it’s been the Twins offense. In others, the pitching has been to blame. In their series finale with the Angels on Sunday, defense was the problem.
Only two errors went down in the box score, on throws by Danny Valencia and Trevor Plouffe in the third inning, but defensive miscues seemed to come far too often as the Twins lost to the Angels, 6-5, at Target Field.
Plouffe opened the third inning with a throw that got past Justin Morneau at first base, but it was ruled an infield single for Mark Trumbo. Two batters later, Valencia also threw one past Morneau, which went down as another single. Valencia was credited for the error when the runner advanced to third base.
Capping things off was Plouffe, who sailed a throw past first base with two outs, allowing the run to score from third for the Angels’ third run of the inning.
“I sailed ’em,” Plouffe said of the throws. “That’s all that is.”
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has been on Plouffe about his defense, and Sunday’s performance was not exactly what he had in mind.
Earlier in the week, Plouffe misplayed a couple balls in the infield by not being aggressive and getting to them quickly enough, allowing the runners to beat his throws. On his poor throws Sunday, Plouffe also seemed to lack some aggression, appearing tentative as he tossed the ball over to first.
“It kind of looked like he didn’t let ’em fly, just kind of lobbed ’em over there,” Gardenhire said. “That’s what we’re talking about. Be aggressive.
“We worked really hard at it yesterday and he did a good job throwing the ball.”
Gardenhire talked before the game about how Plouffe had been unhappy the other day after having to answer questions from a number of reporters about his defensive struggles. It motivated Plouffe to work on his play at shortstop, leading him to put in extra work.
Whatever the problem is, the work Plouffe is putting in, and the focus he’s put on being aggressive have not translated into positive results on the field.
“I’ve got to look at some video, see what I’m doing, and make an adjustment,” Plouffe said. “That’s all I can do. I can’t go back in time and fix anything right now. Just move forward.”
One tough defensive inning behind him was enough to keep Carl Pavano in pursuit of his 100th career win for at least one more start. Pavano battled well against Angels starter Dan Haren, but the three-run third inning was the difference.
Making his sixth attempt at getting that elusive career mark, Pavano remained winless for the month of May. He went eight innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits. Pavano struck out three batters and did not allow a walk.
While the third inning was tough, Pavano was bothered most by the run he allowed in the fifth, which made it a two-run game when Jeff Mathis scored on an Erick Aybar single.
“The thing that stands out the most for me is allowing [Mathis] to get a walking lead and steal second,” Pavano said. “That run right there really makes it a tight ball game, it changes the order, how the order comes up. I gave him no credit at all and he ends up stealing that bag and scoring on a bloop to center.”
Haren did not appear to have his best stuff against the Twins, giving up three runs on 10 hits and exiting after six innings with just two strikeouts.
But he still picked up the win, as the Angels offense picked him up.
“I didn’t really have any out pitches,” Haren said. “I needed runs today. I didn’t have much.”
A three-hit game for Denard Span highlighted the Twins offensive output. Span scored after doubling in the first, drove in Plouffe with his seventh-inning double, singled home Matt Tolbert to spark a ninth-inning rally and later scored on Justin Morneau’s single to bring the Twins within a run.
The Twins’ ninth-inning rally came up short, as they plated a pair of runs on two singles and two walks. Right fielder Michael Cuddyer drove a ball deep to center field, but Peter Bourjos was right there to make the out to end the game.
While they came up short and dropped to 17-34 overall with a 6-15 home record, the Twins were encouraged by the late rally after a tough game.
“We kept fighting,” Cuddyer said. “We never gave up, and we haven’t given up yet. We’ve got to keep playing hard.”
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, 5/29
Nathan’s soreness not unusual after surgery
MINNEAPOLIS — Twins reliever Joe Nathan got encouraging news on Sunday from Dr. David Altchek, who performed his Tommy John surgery last March.
After taking a look at the MRI of Nathan’s elbow, Altchek said what he saw was not unusual in the process of returning from the surgery.
“We talked to Dr. Altchek, who performed the surgery, and he said that’s a very common area for guys that have problems to get some inflammation and some soreness in that area,” Twins head trainer Rick McWane said. “That’s where they split the muscle to go in and perform the surgery, so [Nathan’s] got some scar tissue in there.”
McWane noted the MRI showed some inflammation in Nathan’s forearm, his flexor pronator and his flexor pronator tendon.
Unfortunately for Nathan, his aggressive rehab may have played a role in the setback. But it’s still not something the Twins are particularly concerned about.
“[Altchek] said particularly, guys that really work hard in their rehab, the ones that really get after it, which Joe did, are more susceptible to having this problem for some reason or another than guys that don’t,” McWane said. “He wasn’t overly concerned about it, and we’ll just have to take a few steps back and let it calm down.”
If Liriano is to start, must pitch ‘pen session next
MINNEAPOLIS — If lefty Francisco Liriano is to make his next start, the key date is Tuesday, when he’ll need to throw a bullpen session.
Liriano was scratched from his scheduled Saturday start with soreness in his left shoulder, and an MRI revealed inflammation but no structural damage, Twins head trainer Rick McWane said Saturday.
“Liriano is feeling a lot better today, he’s in there working out,” McWane said. “He understands and knows that he has to throw a bullpen on Tuesday if he’s going to make his next start.”
If Liriano cannot make his next start, Swarzak will get the nod once again, after tossing eight innings of one-hit shutout baseball Saturday night.
The Twins remain unsure of whether Liriano would go on the disabled list if he could not throw his bullpen Tuesday or make his next scheduled start.
“That’s up in the air, too,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “If he ends up missing it and he’s still sore and everything … it sounds like he’ll probably be able to go out there and throw. But if it comes up that he’s having issues out there, [the DL] would be something we would definitely think about. Back him off and just give him a couple weeks here to regroup.”
Designated hitter Jim Thome got a cortisone shot in his left shoulder after Saturday night’s 1-0 victory over the Angels, and was a game-time decision Sunday. McWane said Thome was pretty sore, but moving around before the game Sunday morning.
Lefty reliever Glen Perkins is still progressing, getting closer to taking the next step in his rehab.
“He played catch at 60 feet today without pain,” McWane said. “We’ll start him on a graduated throwing program during the next couple days.”
Twins place Nathan on DL, call up James
MINNEAPOLIS — Twins reliever Joe Nathan was placed on the 15-day disabled list after Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Angels with a right flexor muscle strain, suffering his first real setback since having Tommy John surgery last year.
The results will also be sent to Dr. David Altchek, who performed Nathan’s surgery last March.
“We obviously hoped he wouldn’t have any problems, but I wouldn’t say it’s uncommon to have a setback here or there with what he’s going through,” head trainer Rick McWane said before Saturday’s game. “He’s getting better, but it’s just a matter of him getting over the hump.”
McWane and Nathan said that no one was especially worried about the setback, they just wanted to be cautious with Nathan, who is only 14 months removed from the Tommy John surgery he underwent just prior to the start of last season.
Nathan said he expects to take some time to allow his arm to heal with the treatment he’s been undergoing this week before resuming a throwing program. After that, he said he thought he would go down to Fort Myers, Fla., and throw in a couple extended spring training games.
“Just get back to what worked so well for me then,” Nathan said. “Using more fastballs, get my extension where it needs to be. I feel like since Day 1, I’ve been competing and just trying to put up zeros any way I could.
“I kind of got away from what I’ve always done well. So, I’ve been throwing a lot of breaking balls, a lot of curve balls, and that’s not really going to help me with my extension so much. That’s almost hindering me from getting extended when I try to throw fastballs.”
Nathan was thinking positively about going to the DL, saying he thought it was “going to be a good thing for me when I do get back and finish the rest of the season.” As far as a timeframe for his return, Nathan said he is prepared for anything from 10 days to a month.
Anything longer than that, he said, would be unexpected.
He added that while you never want to go on the disabled list, the decision comes a little differently for him with the way the Twins have been playing through the first two months of the season.
“If we were closer to the front of this pack and competing, it would be a lot tougher for me to go on the DL,” Nathan said. “But with us scuffling right now, I think it at least makes the decision easier to go in, take care of this and make sure we do the right thing for me going into the rest of the season and on into next year.”
James will join the Twins in time for Sunday’s series finale against the Angels.
In 19 appearances with the Red Wings this season, James posted a 1-1 record with a 1.57 ERA, allowing just five earned runs over 28 2/3 innings of work. James also recorded 37 strikeouts against nine walks.
“He’s pitched well,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Chuck James has thrown the ball well.”
In the past, James had some success with the Braves as a starter. Over four years with Atlanta, James went 24-19 with a 4.61 ERA in 55 starts. He allowed 153 earned runs in 298 2/3 innings, striking out 223 with 120 walks.
He also posted a 2.12 ERA in nine relief appearances with the Braves, allowing four runs on 10 hits in 17 innings.
James’ addition to the roster gives the Twins a wealth of left-handed options in the bullpen, as he joins fellow lefties Dusty Hughes, Phil Dumatrait and Jose Mijares, who could rejoin the club as soon as Monday in Detroit. Asked about it after the move was announced, Gardenhire said he just wants the best pitchers available, whether they’re lefties or righties.
“It’s an interesting situation, I’ve never had that many lefties out in the bullpen,” Gardenhire said. “[Rochester pitching coach] Bobby Cuellar said that Chuck James gets them out. It’s not always pretty, he’s up in the zone a little bit, but he knows how to get them out. He’s pitched in the big leagues, so hopefully he’ll continue that here.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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