Monroe got the start in center field on Saturday, his first action since Sunday in Texas, and with his 2-for-3 performance, he may have earned himself another start.

"It always feels good, anytime you get the opportunity to play, because you know you have the opportunity to have some success," Monroe said. "The emotions build up because it is my old team. I'm a little geeked up, a little wired up right now, and to have some success was definitely cool."

Monroe was with the Tigers for the better part of six seasons, before they designated him for assignment and then traded him to the Cubs last August. Monroe signed with the Twins in December and has started off the season by hitting .280 in 16 games.

"I've got a lot of respect for those guys, but at the same time, I'm a Minnesota Twin and I've got the opportunity to play against my old team," Monroe said. "There's just something about playing against your old team. You have this different -- I don't know if you'd call it anger -- but it's when you're in there and you have a chance to beat up on your old team, and today felt incredible."

Monroe lined a home run off Jason Verlander in the seventh to drive in two runs, something he said was especially exciting.

"I've got to say this is one [home run] that's going to be on top of my list. Verlander is a good pitcher. We joked around in the clubhouse when we were on the same team about how he's going to just deal me up and I'm not going to get any hits. But [Saturday] I got to rub it in on him a little bit."

The Twins have taken the first two games in the three-game set against the Tigers, evening their record against them this season after Detroit took both games of a two-game series at Comerica Park earlier this season.

Pitching matchup
MIN: RHP Boof Bonser (2-4, 3.75 ERA)
Bonser got back to what he does best in his latest start against the White Sox, and that's using his curveball to offset a strong fastball. It helped Bonser to limit his number of walks, issuing just one over seven innings, and he struck out a season-high eight. He said his biting curve was the best he's had all season. In two career starts against Detroit, Bonser is 2-0 with 3.75 ERA.

DET: LHP Kenny Rogers (2-3, 6.75 ERA)
Rogers earned his first victory at Yankee Stadium in 11 years on Tuesday by holding the Bronx Bombers to two runs over six innings despite walking the bases loaded in the third. He'll try to even his record on the season by continuing his success at the Metrodome, where he's 15-7 with a 3.90 ERA for his career but has only pitched once since joining the Tigers three years ago. He won all three of his starts against the Twins in 2006 but missed them during his injury-shortened 2007 season.

Tidbits
Twins acting manager Scott Ullger said before Saturday's game that he thought the funeral for manager Ron Gardenhire's oldest brother, Mike, would be on Tuesday and that Gardenhire would rejoin the team in Chicago on Wednesday. ... Carlos Gomez is expected to be back in the lineup Sunday after sitting out Friday's game with a headache. Gomez was hit in the head with a throw while swiping second on Friday night. ... Even with Sunday's day game after a night game on Saturday, Joe Mauer will get the start because of an off-day on Monday.

Tickets
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On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
•  Gameday
•  Official game notes

On television
• WFTC29, (FSN outstate)

On radio
• KSTP-AM/TRN, KMNV / KMNQ (Español)

Up next
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Twins (Nick Blackburn, 2-1, 3.52) at White Sox (Gavin Floyd, 2-1, 3.16), 7:11 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Twins (Livan Hernandez, 4-1, 4.43) at White Sox (Mark Buehrle, 1-3, 4.42), 7:11 p.m. CT