Twins Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)
Twins Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)
The wait, infielder Nick Punto admitted Friday, was long. It had been 356 at-bats since Punto had sent a ball out of the park when he connected with a Paul Byrd fastball Friday for his first home run since June 6, 2007.
“That was nice. It’s been awhile,” Punto said. “Someone told me it was 356 at-bats. That’s a long time, but it felt good, got some good wood on it.”
Punto felt good, apparently, for the rest of the game. He added a three-run double in the eighth to bring his RBI total for the night to four. For the infielder, his success at the plate was both satisfying and reassuring.
After batting .210 last season, Punto lost his job as Minnesota’s everyday third baseman.
Casilla day-to-day with finger issue
Casilla day-to-day with finger issue Twins second baseman Alexi Casilla was scratched from the Twins‘ lineup Friday with soreness in his left middle finger.
At-bats even harder to find for Lamb
At-bats even harder to find for Lamb Mike Lamb signed with the Twins this offseason for the chance to be the club’s everyday third baseman. But now, Lamb has been officially relegated to bench duty. Manager Ron Gardenhire has spoken with Lamb recently about his decreasing role. And he did so again Friday, making clear to the infielder his current situation.
Punto, Young help Twins rout Tribe
Punto, Young help Twins rout Tribe Livan Hernandez got a second crack at Cleveland on Friday night, and this time, he put together a much better performance. The Twins right-hander gave up just three runs on five hits over six innings in the club’s 12-3 victory over the Indians at the Metrodome.
Cleveland Indians to shake up bullpen; Borowski likely out as closer
One of the first decisions the Indians will act upon as the result of today’s meeting with manager Eric Wedge, GM Mark Shapiro and the coaching staff will be reshaping the bullpen.
Small-market AL clubs keep rolling (AP)
Move over, Yankees and Red Sox. Out of the way, White Sox. A couple of small-market clubs are showing the big boys how to play. Edwin Jackson took a two-hitter into the eighth inning and Carlos Pena homered and drove in five runs Friday night, helping the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 11-2 for their fifth straight victory.
FSN tries out new camera shot in Dome
Viewers who tuned into FSN North’s telecasts of the opening two games of the Twins‘ series against Detroit this week got a surprise.
The key to the Twins‘ recent turnaround was stabilizing the starting pitching staff, populated mostly by youngsters.
