NewsRedmond injured in opening setback
With Mauer already out, Twins manager Gardenhire concerned
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
04/07/09 1:14 AM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins catching situation took a hit even before the 2009 season began when they discovered they'd be starting the year without All-Star Joe Mauer, who is on the disabled list due to inflammation in his back. Without Mauer for what they believe is only a couple of weeks, the Twins felt they'd have just have to hold down the fort in his absence. But in a 6-1 loss to the Mariners on Opening Night at the Metrodome, the Twins got a glimpse at just how tenuous their current catching situation might be. A sold-out crowd of 48,514 drew a collective breath in the fifth inning when Mike Redmond was hit on the right side of his neck by the barrel of Russell Branyan's broken bat. It took a few minutes for Redmond to regain the feeling in his arm. But the catcher, who has been known to be a target for these types of incidents, was able to shake off the blow and remain in the game. "Once I got the feeling back in my arm, I felt pretty good," Redmond said. Redmond felt good enough that he headed out to the batter's box to start the bottom of the fifth and hit a double to right field. A good sign for the Twins, right? Well, not exactly, as it was on that play when Redmond suffered the injury that could possibly keep him out for at least Tuesday's game. While running out the double, Redmond said that he tweaked his right groin. "I'm a little concerned," Redmond said. "A little more than normal. I never go in the training room. I've never pulled a muscle, or anything." Hearing Redmond say that he's a little concerned wasn't what the Twins particularly want to hear. He is, after all, the same player who was behind the plate the day after getting stitches thanks to a strike on his head from the bat of Chicago's Jim Thome. Redmond has been scheduled to handle the majority of the catching duties while Mauer is out. So the notion that he might be out for any amount of time is, as manager Ron Gardenhire said, "concerning." "We'll just have to wait and see what the doctors say," Gardenhire said. "That's not a good thing. We don't have enough of those [catchers]."Jose Morales is currently the backup catcher on the roster, and the club has Drew Butera at Triple-A Rochester if it needs another catcher to call up.
The injury came on a night when the Twins and their fans had already been silenced by a strong performance by Seattle starter Felix Hernandez. Hernandez, who will turn 23 on Wednesday, held the Twins to just one run on five hits over his eight innings. And his dominating performance came after he gave the Mariners a little injury scare of his own in the first inning. Hernandez rolled his right ankle on a play down the first-base line. The club's trainer and manager, Don Wakamatsu, ran out to check on Hernandez, but after a few warmup pitches on the mound he was deemed good to go. And for the Twins that meant trouble as Herandnez outdueled the club's own talented phenom, Francisco Liriano. The Twins lefty pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on four hits. Seattle scored its first run in the second inning. After Adrian Beltre led off with a double, he scored on a sacrifice fly by Jose Lopez that left fielder Denard Span caught in foul territory. So was that a mistake for Span to catch that ball? "Early in the game you take outs," Gardenhire said. "Late in the ballgame, then you have a decision to make if it's a go-ahead run. But early in the game you always get outs." The Mariners then added to their lead in the fifth. On a 2-2 pitch from Liriano, Ken Griffey Jr. blasted a solo shot to right field. It was Griffey's eighth career Opening Day home run, tying him with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for the all-time high. "With Griffey, I hung a slider," Liriano said. "I just made a couple mistakes." The Twins pulled within one in the bottom of the fifth when Michael Cuddyer singled with the bases loaded and just one out. Yet the Twins couldn't add to it. With the bases still loaded, Hernandez got Justin Morneau to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. "I'm trying to make sure we get one [run] in there, and if we get any more that's a bonus," Morneau said. "One thing I didn't want to do is hit the ball on the ground. He gave me something up, and I hit it hard, but right at the second baseman." That would be the last of the Twins chances as Seattle only continued to add to its lead. In the sixth, the Mariners pulled away when Franklin Gutierrez belted a two-run homer to center field. Carlos Gomez tried to rob him, but the ball went just over the top of his glove to give Seattle a 4-1 lead. A pair of walks in the ninth issued by Jesse Crain and Craig Breslow led to two more runs as Matt Guerrier gave up a two-run single to Lopez. And that sealed the loss for Minnesota. But while dropping the first contest was a disappointing way to start the season, the Twins are just hoping that they won't be dealing with a much bigger loss -- another catcher to injury. "Obviously knowing the situation we're in, of course it's not what you want," Redmond said. "Just going to wait and see and hope it feels better tomorrow. Hopefully it was just a little cramp. ... If I can be out there tomorrow, I will be."Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
