News
Twins face roster decisions
Minnesota (12-11) vs. Kansas City (12-11), 6:10 p.m. CT
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
05/02/09 1:40 AM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- With a roster move needed for Joe Mauer to be activated from the disabled list prior to Friday's game against the Royals, it appeared that the Twins had to make a decision on whether to send catcher Jose Morales to Triple-A Rochester or to put catcher Mike Redmond on the disabled list with a sore right shoulder. Instead, the Twins decided to go with three catchers and an 11-man pitching staff, delaying a decision on their catching situation for a few extra days. To make room for Mauer, the Twins outrighted pitcher Juan Morillo to Triple-A Rochester after he cleared waivers. In three appearances for the Twins, Morillo posted a 22.50 ERA while giving up three hits and issuing three walks. Still, it was a risk for the Twins to put the hard-throwing righty on waivers based on the fact that he can throw his fastball in the high 90s. But if the move to put Morillo on waivers had not been made now, it likely would have happened early next week when Jesse Crain is ready to be activated from the disabled list. "Here is a young man that has a great gift, but he needs more development time," Twins general manager Bill Smith said of Morillo. "We are hoping to be able to give him that now. We'll send him down to work with Bobby Cuellar in Rochester. Hopefully he can harness some of the velocity that he's got and see if we can get him ready to pitch at this level." By outrighting Morillo, the Twins are going with an 11-man pitching staff for the time being. That decision was made easier, Smith said, by the fact that Crain is only a few days away and the club's starting pitchers have been going deeper into games. He also mentioned that having R.A. Dickey's rubber arm in the bullpen gives them someone who can pitch every day. Still, the Twins expect the three-catcher situation to be only temporary as they wait to determine Redmond's health status. Redmond was available only in an emergency on Friday night after he received a cortisone shot in his right shoulder on Wednesday. Gardenhire said that while Redmond's shoulder was still sore, he was feeling a lot better on Friday. The expectation is that Redmond will be ready to play by the time that Crain is activated. Crain felt great after throwing his bullpen on Friday and is scheduled to pitch one more bullpen session on Sunday. If all goes well, then Crain will travel with the team to Detroit and they'll activate him either Monday or Tuesday. The club needs two healthy catchers, so if Redmond is not ready to play by the time that Crain can be activated, it still could mean a DL stint for the 37-year-old veteran -- even though right now that appears unlikely. "If he gets to where he can't throw and has more issues, then we'll have to make that decision," Gardenhire said. "We have to see how he does over the next couple days. That's why we kept a third catcher." Pitching matchupMIN: LHP Glen Perkins (1-2, 2.48 ERA)
After beginning the season with three straight eight-inning starts, Perkins found himself in a little early trouble in his last outing against the Indians. The left-hander gave up four runs on seven hits over five innings. Perkins fell behind in the count throughout most of his outing and said that he was fighting himself, a result of perhaps the six days of rest he had between starts. But Perkins didn't want to use excuses for his struggles, saying that his goal next time out was to get back to the form he showed in his first three outings of the year. Perkins will try to find that form when he faces the Royals, a team he is 0-0 with a 2.16 ERA against in four career appearances (one start). KC: RHP Brian Bannister (2-0, 0.69 ERA)
After a disastrous 2008 and a short stint at Triple-A Omaha, Brian Bannister has been a revelation. Bannister got shelled during Spring Training and was promptly sent to Omaha. But after getting recalled, he is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. His last time out, he shut down a Blue Jays offense that came into the game leading the Majors in runs scored. This is the Bannister the Royals saw in 2007, when he went 12-9 with a 3.87 ERA. After his last start, Bannister said he thought he might have figured out the source of some of his struggles. He's had success in his career against Minnesota, too. He's 3-1 with a 3.40 ERA in six games. Tidbits
The Twins will also be short another position player for the second straight day on Saturday. Third baseman Joe Crede headed back home to Missouri on Thursday when his wife, Lisa, went into labor about a month early. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy early Friday morning and mother and baby are reported to be doing fine. Crede is expected to miss a couple days while he's with his family. ... Brendan Harris got the start at third on Friday, but Gardenhire said he also plans on giving Brian Buscher a start or two during Crede's absence. ... The Twins went 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position and two outs in Friday's win. They had come into the game hitting just .234 with RISP and two outs. Tickets
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• Sunday: Twins (Scott Baker, 0-3, 9.82) vs. Royals (Gil Meche, 1-2, 3.77), 1:10 p.m. CT
• Monday: Twins (Francisco Liriano, 0-4, 6.04) at Tigers (Edwin Jackson, 1-1, 2.25), 6:05 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Twins (Nick Blackburn, 2-1, 4.02) at Tigers (Rick Porcello, 1-3, 6.23), 6:05 p.m. CT
Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
