NewsMorales helping Twins down the stretch
Detroit (78-70) at Minnesota (76-72), 1:10 p.m. CT
By Tyler Mason / MLB.com
09/19/09 8:31 PM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jose Morales knows it's out of his control as to when he's in the Twins' lineup. Minnesota skipper Ron Gardenhire, on the other hand, does have that control, and lately he's been finding it hard to keep Morales out of the batting order. "He can handle the bat," Gardenhire said. "He's a professional hitter. He knows what he's doing when he's got the bat in his hands. When catcher Joe Mauer missed the first month of the season, Morales spent the entire month of April with the Twins. But upon Mauer's return, the rest of Morales' season was a back-and-forth ride between the Majors and Triple-A Rochester. "Every time we've brought him up here, he's handled himself very well," Gardenhire said. "The only thing is it made it a long season, just going up and down," Morales said. "If that's the way it had to be, that's the way it had to be. I can't ask for any more. I just want a chance to play in the big leagues." That chance has come for Morales, as the Twins -- just two games behind the Tigers in the American League Central -- are in the thick of a pennant race and continue to put their confidence in the young catcher. Since being recalled Sept. 1, Morales has seen action in 11 games, five in the starting lineup. A converted infielder, Morales continues to be a work in progress behind the plate. He's made three starts at catcher this month, including the Twins' Sep. 9 game in which Carl Pavano made the start. It was the first time the battery of Pavano and Morales worked together, and the veteran pitcher played the role of tutor to the younger Morales. "When he caught Pavano, there were situations that Pavano wanted him to understand," Gardenhire said. "Rather than just saying, 'We kind of weren't on the same page,' he talked to him about it. That's how you learn, and that's pretty good for a veteran to take a kid and sit with him during games and tell him about situations." "[Pavano's] been in the game for a long time as a pitcher," Morales said. "I'm still learning how to catch. [Pavano helped with] just knowing hitters, recognizing swings, patterns and just having a better idea of what hitters want to do in different situations." Morales' improvement behind the plate means he could see an increase in catching duties before the season's done. And his consistency in the batter's box -- he is hitting .435 in 23 at-bats in September entering Sunday -- should help his chances of staying the lineup for the remainder of the year. "I don't have any control over that," Morales said. "I'm just going to take advantage of every chance I get, do the best I can and just help the team win some ballgames." Pitching matchupMIN: RHP Scott Baker (13-8, 4.35 ERA)
Baker had his shortest start since Aug. 19 on Tuesday against Cleveland, lasting just 5 1/3 innings while giving up three runs on five Indians hits. He had to battle just to make it that deep into the game, throwing 101 pitches while striking out five and walking a pair. The fourth inning did him in as Cleveland put up three runs to take a 3-1 lead. Baker didn't factor into the decision, a Twins win. Baker has posted a 9.58 ERA in two games against Detroit this year, but didn't factor into the decision in either start. DET: LHP Nate Robertson (1-2, 5.35 ERA)
Just days after being scratched out of the rotation with pelvic inflammation, Robertson is back in a starting role, likely for the home stretch after Jarrod Washburn's troublesome left knee swelled up on him. Robertson's combination of fastball, slider and changeup worked wonders, relatively speaking, before his injury worsened, so the Tigers are hoping he can get back that form. He's 5-5 with a 4.08 ERA in 11 career starts at the Metrodome. Tidbits
Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• WFTC29 On radio
• TRN 1500, KMNV / KMNQ (Español) Up next
• Monday: Twins (Nick Blackburn, 10-11, 4.34) at White Sox (D.J. Carrasco, 5-1, 3.66), 7:11 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Twins (TBD) at White Sox (John Danks, 12-9, 3.59), 7:11 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Twins (Brian Duensing, 4-1, 3.22) at White Sox (Mark Buehrle, 12-9, 3.84), 7:11 p.m. CT
Tyler Mason is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
