Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Friday, March 1, 2013

 Hendriks picks up the pace in Twins’ win over Baltimore. StarTribune.com (Neal) pg. 1  Twins postgame: It’s a juggernaut. StarTribune.com (Neal) pg. 2  Notes from Fort Myers: Mauer expects fatherhood to be ‘a game-changer.’ StarTribune.com (Neal) pg. 2  TwinsCentric: Where are they now? Former Twins in big league camps. StarTribune.com (Stohs) pg. 3  : Pitching prospects Alex Meyer, J.O. Berrios shine. PioneerPress.com (Berardino) pg. 5  calls impending fatherhood ‘a blessing.’ PioneerPress.com (Berardino) pg. 5  Tom Powers: Minnesota Twins think Alex Meyer well worth his high price. PioneerPress.com (Powers) pg. 6  Minnesota Twins’ Darin Mastroianni aggravates hamstring injury. PioneerPress.com (Berardino) pg. 7  Charley Walters: Twins’ showing zip – and sink. PioneerPress.com (Walters) pg. 7  Meyer, Berrios post zeros in ‘B’ game. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 8  Expecting twins, Mauer excited about fatherhood. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 8  Mastroianni says sore hamstring nothing serious. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 9  Hendriks picks up steam in strong outing. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 9  Hendriks’ three shutout pace Twins. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 9  Perkins prefers to focus on the present. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 10  Father-to-be Joe Mauer, power Twins past Orioles. 1500ESPN.com (AP) pg. 11  Spring Observations: How to throw a better , with . 1500ESPN.com (Mackey) pg. 12  Twins GM says prospect Alex Meyer is ‘just funky enough to be scary.’ 1500ESPN.com (Mackey) pg. 14  Reality from Fort Myers: Recalling the Replacements. 1500ESPN.com (Reusse) pg. 15  Twins’ Plouffe enjoys life as a big leaguer. News-press.com (Dorsey) pg. 16

Hendriks picks up the pace in Twins’ win over Baltimore

La Velle E. Neal III / StarTribune.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, FLA. - Twins righthander Liam Hendriks now has an outing he can take off from after pitching three scoreless on Thursday during the Twins' 7-1 win over Baltimore.

Hendriks gave up a in two innings in his first outing of the spring and said he felt much better on Thursday. It showed, as he was around the plate and used all of his pitches.

"He rushed a couple pitches here and there but settled back in,'' manager said. "Got his breaking ball where he wanted to. His pace was a lot better. The big thing with him is pace. When he starts slowing down in games, it is no fun.''

Twins hitters got their licks in against Orioles starter Jair Jurrjens, whom they talked about signing as a free agent during the offseason. Jurrjens labored through the first inning, walking three and giving up two hits. One was a bases-clearing by Justin Morneau -- the last run scoring on an -- that gave the Twins a 3-0 lead.

Hendriks, in the running for the starting rotation, finished up with two solid innings. ~ 1 ~

"My command was definitely a lot better,'' Hendriks said while comparing his first two outings. " in, fastballs away. It was only the second start of spring, but the off-speed stuff was working tonight.''

Morneau, Darin Mastroianni, Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham each had two hits. Morneau ended up with three RBI as the Twins won for the fourth straight time.

Twins postgame: It’s a juggernaut

La Velle E. Neal III / StarTribune.com – 2/28/13

Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau sure are serious about getting ready for the .

Mauer was 2-for-2 as he raised his average to .375. Morneau was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI and is now batting .467. Both leave for the WBC on Sunday.

But they aren't the only ones hitting.

Darin Mastroianni was 2-for-3 with a double to left and a double to right as he raised his average to .264. He did tweak his left hamstring but is confident that he will not miss any extended period of time, Josh Willingham was 2-for-2 and is now batting - - - - - .727. That's 8-for-11. B game roundup

All the centerfield candidates have played well so far in camp. had a couple hits in the morning game and really looks confident at the plate.

``Good,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. ``He's patient, getting his pitches and putting some really nice swings on them.''

Righthander Alex Meyer showed his skills today. He gave up one hit over two innings but really dominated a Red Sox team of minor leaguers.Didn't have a gun reading on him but he was firing the ball in there pretty good, He had looked a little too excited in some of his previous outings. ``That was the best performance we have see from him down here,'' Gardenhire said.

Just one game tomorrow, as the Twins travel to Jupiter to see what 's Fighting Marlins have to offer.

Notes from Fort Myers: Mauer expects fatherhood to be ‘a game-changer’

La Velle E. Neal III / StarTribune.com – 2/28/13

Joe Mauer knows that the news on Wednesday that his wife, Maddie, is pregnant with twins erupted throughout the Twin Cities. But he's still walking on clouds himself.

"It's unbelievable,'' Mauer said after the Twins beat Baltimore on Thursday for their fourth straight win. "What a blessing. I'm just very excited. Very happy and really couldn't believe it at first.''

It was hard for the couple to keep the pregnancy a secret, but they wanted to make sure everything was safe before they made an announcement. They knew once a few people found out that word would spread instantly.

There used to be Kodak moments. Now there are Twitter moments. And Wednesday night was a Twitter moment as Mauer began getting congratulatory messages -- and message making sure it wasn't a hoax -- right before he went to bed.

"I really didn't expect what happened [Wednesday] to happen,'' he said.

~ 2 ~

The babies are due the last week in August, and the Mauers plan to be surprised at what gender they are. Mauer said that he's enjoyed watching his friends and family react to the news, that he plans to ask Jamey Carroll, the father of twins, for plenty of advice and that he's not afraid of changing diapers.

"It's a game-changer,'' he said. "To start off with one is a blessing. To start off with two is an even bigger blessing.''

Mastroianni tweaks a hamstring Darin Mastroianni was 2-for-3 with two doubles on Thursday, but he tweaked his left hamstring during his final at-bat in the fourth inning and was replaced by a .

Mastroianni can motor, so any injury to his legs can be concerning. But Mastroianni expected to miss only a day or two. He said the same thing happened during winter ball.

B game The Twins dropped a 3-0 B game to Boston on Thursday morning before the main game at Hammond Stadium against the Orioles. The B game was to give some younger players some action while helping a few others prepare for the World Baseball Classic.

Aaron Hicks was 1-for-3 with a double. was 1-for-3.

Righthander Samuel Deduno gave up three earned runs over 1 2/3 innings. Righthanders Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios were impressive as each threw two shutout innings. B.J. Hermsen gave up a run in the final inning.

On deck The Twins head to Jupiter to face Mike Redmond and the Florida Marlins. Righthander Vance Worley will start for the Twins, while righthander Henderson Alvarez will start for Florida.

TwinsCentric: Where are they now? Former Twins in big league camps

Seth Stohs / StarTribune.com – 2/28/13

If you’re like me, one of the fun things to do during is to read through all of the box scores. They’re long, and full of names as starters are just getting a couple of at bats and managers are wanting to see their role players and non-roster invitees. It’s a good reminder of the offseason transactions and who signed where. That’s important for the big free agents, but it’s also fun to see where the lesser-known names and the minor league free agents signed.

As someone who is coming up on ten years of blogging on the Twins, it’s also fun for me to see where former Twins players wind up. Some of the names are easily recognizable, and some of the players may not have even made it to the majors but ‘grew up’ in the Twins farm system. Now, this may not be a complete list of who is in big league camp. You may have seen on SportsCenter the other day that JD Durbin (aka The Real Deal) gave up a long to Edwin Encarnacion. Durbin signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox this winter after spending the past few summers in independent ball.

So, check out the below list of 40 man roster guys and non-roster invites that are in big league camp right now, and be sure to point out who else you know is playing.

Baltimore Orioles – Luis Ayala, Alexi Casilla, and JJ Hardy are on their 40 man roster. , (drafted out of high school and spent 2012 spring training with Twins), Lew Ford and are non-roster invites. De San Miguel is also on the Australian WBC team.

Boston Red Sox – and are on the 40 man roster. Last year’s Rule 5 selection Terry Doyle is a non-roster invitee.

New York Yankees – Utility infielder Gil Velezquez in a non-roster invite.

Toronto Blue Jays – RA Dickey and Henry Blanco are on the 40 man roster. Ramon Ortiz was a spring training invite. ~ 3 ~

Chicago White Sox – is on the 40 man roster. Jeff Gray and Steve Tolleson are non-roster invites.

Cleveland Indians – and Matt Carson signed minor league deals with spring invites.

Detroit Tigers – got a very nice contract to be on the Tigers’ 40 man roster.

Houston Astros – They found some reason to put Phil Humber on their 40 man roster.

Los Angeles Angels – Brendan Harrison, Luis(!) Rodriguez and are non-roster invites.

Oakland A’s – Last year’s surprise team has Grant Balfour and in their bullpen and on their 40 man roster.

Texas Rangers – A couple of former Twins All Stars, and AJ Pierzynski, are on their 40 man roster. Evan Meek, Eli Whiteside and Yangervis Solarte are in their camp on minor league deals.

Atlanta Braves – Dusty Hughes got a minor league deal.

Miami Marlins – is on the 40 man roster while inked a minor league deal with a spring invite.

New York Mets – A couple of oldies but goodies are with the Mets. ’s deal is finally in its final season. LaTroy Hawkins, a non- roster invite, has to be getting close to his final season.

Philadelphia Phillies – and are on the Phillies 40 man roster. Young is likely to begin the season on the DL.

Washington Nationals – and are on their 40 man roster. Ramos is hoping to be ready for , but it may not be very likely.

Chicago Cubs – and Scott Baker are on their 40 man roster, and both could miss Opening Day. Darnell McDonald is a non-roster invite.

Cincinnati Reds – Corky Miller is a non-roster invite.

Milwaukee Brewers – Carlos Gomez turned out alright, finally, and got a nice contract via arbitration.

Pittsburgh Pirates – They finally reached their agreement with . Garrett Jones will again make a lot of money in his second arbitration season.

Arizona Diamondbacks – How about this… Michael Tonkin’s brother-in-law is on the D-Backs 40 man roster.

Colorado Rockies – is on their 40 man roster. Jeff Manship got a spring training invitation and in his first spring outing threw seven pitches and got a pop up and two .

Los Angeles Dodgers – and Matt Guerrier are on the 40 man roster. Punto is on Team Italy in the WBC. Peter Moylan got a minor league deal.

San Diego Padres – Jason Marquis is on the 40 man roster, and Rene Rivera got a spring training invite.

San Francisco Giants – Jose Mijares is on their 40 man roster. Boof Bonser is back with his original team on a minor league deal.

So there you have it, a quick look around the other rosters to see which former Twins players are in big league camp. If I missed anyone,

~ 4 ~

please let me know. The only teams not to have even one former Twins-related player in big league camp are the , the , the , and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Minnesota Twins: Pitching prospects Alex Meyer, J.O. Berrios shine

Mike Berardino / PioneerPress.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Young right-handers Alex Meyer and J.O. Berrios, two of the Twins' top pitching prospects, worked a combined four shutout innings in a "B" game against the on Thursday morning, Feb. 28, across town at JetBlue Park.

Meyer and Berrios had five combined strikeouts. It was the final outing for Berrios, 19, before he joins the Puerto Rican team for the World Baseball Classic.

The highlight for Berrios was a of Red Sox prospect Deven Marrero, taken seven picks ahead of Berrios in last summer's draft and given $500,000 more in bonus money.

Aaron Hicks, battling for the starting job in center field, went 2 for 3 with a double in a 4-0 loss for the Twins.

Third baseman Mark Sobolewski, taken from the Blue Jays in the minor league this winter, also doubled.

The game was closed to the public with only a cluster of scouts, team executives and relatives in the stands. Manager Ron Gardenhire and his staff ran the game from the dugout.

Joe Mauer calls impending fatherhood ‘a blessing’

Mike Berardino / PioneerPress.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Joe Mauer was able to keep things quiet for two months, but as the Twins' franchise said, "The secret's out now." Mauer and his wife, Maddie, learned over the Christmas holidays that they would be having twins. The gender isn't known, but the due date is sometime in late August.

"I already checked the schedule," Mauer said Thursday afternoon, Feb. 28.

The Twins are on the road for all but three games during an 18-day stretch that begins Aug. 19, so the impending birth of the Mauer twins could be quite a storyline as the season progresses.

It already was quite a big deal when news broke on TwinCities.com late Wednesday night, Feb. 27.

"Didn't expect what happened last night to happen, but definitely happy about it," Mauer said. "It's just kind of been a blur. It's just been so much excitement telling family and friends."

Mauer said he's already told teammate Jamey Carroll, whose twins turned 5 on Wednesday, to expect lots of questions in the coming months. Twins clubhouse manager Rodney McCormick also has twins, Mauer said.

What did he think when he heard the news?

"It was unbelievable," Mauer said. "What a blessing. Really couldn't believe it at first. It's still kind of a shock. It's kind of hitting me now as we start to tell people. To see the reaction of my teammates and friends, it's been pretty fun."

Older brothers Billy and Jake Mauer have three and two children, respectively.

"Catching up, I guess," Joe Mauer said. "It's a game changer."

~ 5 ~

Tom Powers: Minnesota Twins think Alex Meyer well worth his high price

Tom Powers / PioneerPress.com – 3/1/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Upon hearing that he had been traded to the Twins for Denard Span, Alex Meyer spoke for a lot of us when he asked a bit incredulously:

"Am I the only one? Yeah, I actually did ask that," Meyer recalled Thursday, Feb. 28.

Seriously, a doesn't often get swapped straight up for an established, productive major league center fielder. Yet there was no player to be named, no cash, no future considerations attached to the deal with the ; it was Span for Meyer.

"It made me feel good about myself knowing I got traded for a guy of that caliber," Meyer said. "You never want to hear that you got traded for a washing machine."

Hey, I can name four or five Twins starting from 2012 who would not have fetched a serviceable washing machine. Or a crockpot. Or a four-pack of bathroom tissue. But there is no question general manager paid a steep price here.

"Denard Span is obviously a really good player, and he's been a really good player for a long time now," Meyer said. "So the fact that I was traded straight up for him I guess speaks for itself. I was really excited that the Twins thought that much of me. Now I've got to go out and do my job."

Meyer is 23 and just two years and 25 starts into a pro career. Most casual observers had never heard of him. What's the attraction? Well, I wish you could see him.

The Twins played a "B" game against the Red Sox at Jet Blue Park before their regularly scheduled game against the Orioles. Meyer, a righty, pitched two innings. Of his 23 pitches, 18 were strikes. He fanned three. Sure, he wasn't pitching to front-line players, but he threw hard and worked quickly.

"Great angle, the ball was going down, his slider was sharp," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He threw it right by some people over there. There were some kids, minor league kids over there to face him, but he was blowing it by them."

Meyer is 6 feet 9 and can really pour it in. So, yeah, I can see the attraction. Furthermore, he followed Sam Deduno to the mound after Sad Sam had given us all a flashback to 2012: ball, hit, pause, ball, pause, hit ... It just makes it that much easier appreciate a peppy, hard- throwing kid.

Ryan, who was in attendance at Jet Blue, was asked if he had radar gun readings on Meyer.

"Yes," he said.

Well?

"Hard."

Terry passes out bits of information as if they were a hundred-dollar bills. We'll settle for "hard."

Meyer's sinks. In fact, all his pitches have movement. Rick Anderson has specific instructions for Meyer's catcher: Set up right down the middle.

"Yeah, and let the ball run," Meyer said. "Just set up down the middle and let the ball run down to the corners. That's what I felt like I was doing today. As long as it's down, it's going to be fine."

~ 6 ~

He likely will begin the season at Class AA New Britain. As for when we'll see him at , that depends on a couple of things. His recurring flaw to this point has been his follow-through. That's got to be smoothed out so that his momentum is toward home plate.

"That's the thing the Nationals were always telling me," Meyer agreed.

He has a big-league fastball and slider but is working on a as a third pitch. The one hit he gave up against the Red Sox was on a changeup, the only one he threw.

But at 23, he's no baby. Meyer ought to be able to move through the final two minor league levels fairly rapidly. Geez, it's good to see a big guy who can fire it. Trevor May is another one. The batters are going to get the hard stuff, and there's not going to be any fooling around between pitches.

"I felt like I could have gone a few more innings," Meyer said. "I felt like my heart rate was slowed down a little bit, and I felt like I was out there pitching and not just throwing the ball as hard as I can."

His heart rate might have been down, but after watching him pitch, and remembering last year's rotation, my heart rate was up.

Minnesota Twins’ Darin Mastroianni aggravates hamstring injury

Mike Berardino / PioneerPress.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Darin Mastroianni, bidding to be the Twins' Opening Day center fielder, was removed from the game Thursday, Feb. 28, because of a tight left hamstring.

The speedster had just hit his second double in three at-bats against the when he was replaced by a pinch runner. The injury has bothered him off and on since early December, while playing winter ball in Venezuela, and he aggravated it on a check swing during his final at-bat Thursday.

"It's nothing serious," Mastroianni said. "Should be gone here in a couple of days. I'm not too worried about it."

Third-base coach Joe Vavra saw Mastroianni favoring the leg after his second double and called time to check on him.

"When Joe came out, I told him, 'I'm fine. I can keep going,' " Mastroianni said. "I didn't want to lie to him. I could have stayed out there. But it's Feb. 28. We've got a month left (in spring training). It's precautionary."

Mastroianni is hitting .364 (4 for 11) with three doubles in the early going this spring as he battles former first-round draft pick Aaron Hicks and five-tool threat for the starting job.

Hicks will make the trip to Jupiter on Friday to start in center field against the , but that was the plan even before Mastroianni aggravated his hamstring, manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Charley Walters: Twins’ Kyle Gibson showing zip – and sink

Charley Walters / PioneerPress.com – 2/28/13

People in Fort Myers, Fla., are still buzzing about the buzzing fastball exhibited by Kyle Gibson in his first spring training appearance for the Twins against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Feb. 24.

Not only was a Gibson fastball that struck out one batter clocked at 96 mph, it also was a sinking fastball. Not bad for a guy who had ligament replacement surgery on his right arm in 2011.

Joe Mauer is expected to catch Gibson on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox. It will be good news for the Twins, desperate for starting pitching, if Gibson's fastball is still nasty for hitters. ~ 7 ~

"It will be nice to see him again," said Mauer, who caught Gibson's first appearance.

Meanwhile, Mauer on Sunday will fly to Phoenix to prepare for the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic. The team's first workout is expected to be Monday. Its first game is March 8 against Mexico in Phoenix. If the United States advances to the second round, games will be in Miami beginning March 12.

"Should be fun," Mauer said.

Twins , who is from Stillwater, will accompany Mauer to Phoenix.

"A couple Minnesota boys going out to play for Team USA -- that's pretty cool," Mauer said.

Mauer, a Cretin-Derham Hall grad, said he'll miss seeing Cretin grad Tim Tschida on the field this season. Tschida, 52, this week officially retired as a major league .

"I'm not just saying that because he was a Cretin guy, but he was one of the better (umpires)," Mauer said.

Meyer, Berrios post zeros in ‘B’ game

Rhett Bollinger / twinsbaseball.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins pitching prospects Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios continued to impress by combining to throw four scoreless innings in a "B" game against the Red Sox on Thursday at JetBlue Park.

Meyer, ranked as the No. 40 overall prospect according to MLB.com, struck out three and gave up one hit in two scoreless frames. And Berrios, who is ranked as Minnesota's No. 9 prospect, threw two perfect innings in the Twins' 4-0 loss in seven innings.

"Meyer was really impressive," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It was the best performance for him down here. So we got our work in and the pitchers got some innings in."

They fared better than right-handers Samuel Deduno and B.J. Hermsen, who both struggled. Deduno, who is leaving the club this weekend to join Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, gave up three runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Hermsen, the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year, surrendered a run in the final inning.

Prospects Aaron Hicks and Eddie Rosario each had a hit for the Twins, who didn't do much offensively against the Red Sox.

Expecting twins, Mauer excited about fatherhood

Rhett Bollinger / twinsbaseball.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It's only fitting that catcher Joe Mauer and his wife, Maddie, are expecting twins.

Mauer, who has spent his entire career with the Twins organization since being drafted by his hometown team as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft, said he's excited about the prospect of being a father. The couple married in December and the twins are due in late August.

"It's unbelievable," Mauer said. "What a blessing. I'm just very excited and very happy. I really couldn't believe it at first. It's still kind of a shock. It's starting to hit me now that we're starting to tell people. I'm just very excited."

~ 8 ~

Mauer said he'll wait to find out about the gender of the fraternal twins but joked that it's killing his dad to know. Mauer added that his experience as an uncle will help, as his older brother Billy has three children and his older brother Jake, who manages the organization's Class A team in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has two kids.

"I'll be doing it all," Mauer said with a smile. "I'm excited for it. I've seen how having kids have changed my brothers. So I've had practice with them. I'm looking forward to it."

Mauer, 29, is having himself another impressive Spring Training, hitting .375 (3-for-8) with a .615 on-base percentage in four games. He's set to leave Twins camp on Sunday for Arizona to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.

Mastroianni says sore hamstring nothing serious

Rhett Bollinger / twinsbaseball.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Outfielder Darin Mastroianni left Thursday's game against the Orioles in the fourth inning with a sore left hamstring and is day to day.

Mastroianni tweaked his hamstring on a check swing during his at-bat against Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman. He still managed to hit a double that at-bat but was taken out for pinch-runner .

Mastroianni, who is competing for the center-field job along with Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson, said he originally injured his hamstring in early December while playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. But he said the injury is only minor and that he was taken out for precautionary reasons.

"It's fine," said Mastroianni, who was 2-for-3 with a run scored in Thursday's 7-1 victory. "It's just something we've been working on down here. It's been lingering since I was in Venezuela. It's something that doesn't bother me when I'm running. It's only when I'm decelerating. It should be gone in a couple days, so I'm not worried about it."

Hendriks picks up steam in strong outing

Rhett Bollinger / twinsbaseball.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Right-hander Liam Hendriks came away pleased with his outing against the Orioles on Thursday, after he tossed three scoreless innings at Hammond Stadium.

Hendriks, in his second spring outing, improved his ERA to 1.80 ERA in Grapefruit League play by giving up just four hits. He's competing for a spot in the rotation after making 16 starts with a 5.59 ERA with the Twins and a 2.20 ERA in 16 starts at -A Rochester last year.

"Good results are definitely nice, but sometimes you're trying to work on stuff, and today they both went hand in hand," Hendriks said. "So I think if I can execute the stuff I'm working on, I will do well. And today I felt pretty good about that and executed my game plan. It was good to get that three-inning [start] out of the way after not feeling so great in the second inning last time."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire liked what he saw from Hendriks, who worked at a much better pace in his second outing.

"He was good," Gardenhire said. "He threw the ball well. He rushed a couple pitches here and there, but he settled in there and got his breaking ball where he wanted to. He got the outs when he had to and his pace was much better."

Hendriks’ three shutout innings pace Twins

Rhett Bollinger / twinsbaseball.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Right-hander Liam Hendriks tossed three scoreless innings and Justin Morneau drove home three runs to help the Twins secure a 7-1 win over the Orioles on Thursday at Hammond Stadium. ~ 9 ~

Hendriks, who was making his second start of the spring and is competing for a spot in Minnesota's rotation, gave up four hits and struck out two. He improved his ERA to 1.80 ERA in five Grapefruit League innings.

"It was good," Hendriks said. "I threw some first-pitch for strikes, which is always nice. I went out there and felt a lot better than last time. The ball was coming out good and I got ahead of some guys and it was a lot better."

He fared much better than Orioles right-hander Jair Jurrjens, who lasted just one inning and surrendered three runs on two hits and three walks. It was the second start of the spring for Jurrjens, who is competing for a spot in Baltimore's rotation after joining the club on a Minor League deal.

"My timing today was way off," said Jurrjens, who said it was a combination of things, including flying open in his delivery, that lead to three walks. "Yes, [it's] a mechanics issue. I think I have been having bad habits for a couple of years, I just got to figure out how to get the good habits back, the good timing. Get that feel back."

Morneau had the big hit in the opening frame against Jurrjens with a bases-clearing double with one out. He was only credited with two RBIs on the play, as Yamaico Navarro was charged with a throwing error.

Minnesota added two more runs in the third with Josh Willingham plating a run on an RBI double before Morneau brought home Willingham with a off left-hander Mike Belfiore.

The Twins scored again in the fourth against Orioles prospect Kevin Gausman, who was the club's first-round pick in last year's First-Year Player Draft. Joe Mauer brought home the run on his second hit of the game.

Eduardo Escobar later added a sacrifice fly for the Twins in the sixth inning off right-hander Zach Clark to score Brian Dozier. Xavier Avery drove in Baltimore's run with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly.

Twins up next: The Twins are making the trek across the state to play the Marlins in Jupiter on Friday at 1:05 p.m. ET at Roger Dean Stadium. Right-hander Vance Worley, who was acquired in the trade that sent Ben Revere to Philadelphia, is scheduled to make his second start of the spring for the Twins. Right-hander Henderson Alvarez is slated to start for the Marlins.

Perkins prefers to focus on the present

Rhett Bollinger / twinsbaseball.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It wasn't that long ago that Glen Perkins found himself fighting for a job in Spring Training with no guarantees he'd be part of the Twins' bullpen.

It was just two years ago, and Perkins was coming off a forgettable year in 2010, when he had a 5.82 ERA in the Majors and a 5.81 ERA at Triple-A Rochester.

But Perkins pitched well enough that spring to make the club out of camp, and ended up re-writing his history with the Twins the last two seasons.

Perkins went from being labeled as somewhat of a malcontent -- he filed a grievance with the club over service time in '09 -- to becoming one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball and one of the team's leaders in the clubhouse.

So Perkins, who is entering this season as Minnesota's closer after posting a combined 2.52 ERA with 143 strikeouts in 132 innings over the last two seasons, is happier living in the moment than looking back at what he went through to get to this point.

"I don't like to think about those times because it wasn't very fun," said Perkins, who saved 16 games last season. "Two years ago in Spring Training wasn't very fun. It was stressful and all those things and you have a family to take care of."

~ 10 ~

Perkins said he'd get questions from his wife, Alicia, about signing a long-term contract to stay with his hometown Twins -- he grew up in nearby Stillwater -- but he had to explain to her that he wasn't exactly deserving of one with a career 4.81 ERA entering the 2011 season. "You saw [Scott] Baker and [Nick] Blackburn sign these deals and she's saying, 'Why don't you sign one?' and I had to tell her I wasn't very good," Perkins said with a laugh. "You gotta be good before you sign one."

But now Perkins has the security of a long-term contract -- worth a guaranteed $10.3 million through the '15 season with an option for '16 -- he signed before last season. The deal also has incentives based on games finished that can make the deal even more valuable for him now that he's established himself as closer.

"Now I can just focus on my job and make sure I do right by the Twins," Perkins said. "They trusted me with a lot of money and an important role on the team. It's more important for me to live up to their expectations for me than to worry about where I was two years ago. Things happen fast and your focus changes and so far it's been for the better."

Twins catcher Joe Mauer couldn't be happier for Perkins, whom he has known since high school because they grew up only about 20 minutes apart.

"He's found his niche," Mauer said. "It's really nice to see. He's got the right mentality for a closer. He's a guy who has great stuff, for one. But he also has the ability where, if he gives up a couple runs, the next day he'll quickly forget that. That's what good closers do."

Perkins and Mauer have both made good as two local boys playing for their hometown team and now will have the chance to represent their country together for the first time, as they're set to leave Sunday for Arizona to join Team USA for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Perkins said he's excited for the opportunity and has been developing his slider earlier than usual to get ready to pitch in the playoff-type atmosphere in big league ballparks for Team USA. And he also noted how special it is for him and Mauer to be native Minnesotans playing for their country.

"I can't imagine that's going to happen again," Perkins said. "We've know each other forever because we were the same class and the same age. It's not too often guys even from north of the Mason-Dixon line that play in something like that. So it's pretty neat."

Perkins also could get a chance to face his teammate Justin Morneau, as Morneau is slated to play for Team Canada for the third time. But Perkins and Mauer are being secretive about what they'll throw Morneau if they have a chance to face him in Pool D play at Arizona's Chase Field on March 10.

Morneau, though, joked that he's fine not knowing what will be coming from Perkins if he comes up to face him. "I just said if he's in the game, that means we're either up or it's close," Morneau said. "He'll be in to face all nine left-handed hitters we run up there."

So while Perkins could be gone from Twins camp for a few weeks depending on how Team USA fares, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire isn't concerned about his closer, who has been one of a few bright spots for club despite Minnesota's struggles the last two seasons.

"He's another guy I'm not really too worried about," Gardenhire said. "I believe he's going to take the ball and let 'er fly. He's found his niche and he's happy with it and I think he's content in the way he goes about it. He's pretty confident. I think he's a guy who just works himself right into it. He's fun to watch and it's fun to give him the ball."

Father-to-be Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau power Twins past Orioles

AP / 1500ESPN.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- As news spread that Joe Mauer and his wife are expecting twins in August, the All-Star catcher had two hits with an RBI, a walk and two runs scored to lead the Minnesota Twins over the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 on Thursday.

Mauer said he and his family have known for a while about his impending fatherhood. He used the word "blessing" several times in describing his emotions to the media. ~ 11 ~

"It was unbelievable," said Mauer, who wants to wait until his children are born to discover what sex they are. "What a blessing. I'm just really excited and happy. I couldn't really believe it at first. It's still kind of a shock. It's kind of hitting me now that we're starting to tell people. We found out around the holidays. It's kind of been a blur. There's been so much excitement, telling family and friends."

Mauer said the twins are expected at the end of August. By then, Mauer's team could be much improved from last season's 66-96 finish should the Twins extend their hot spring training starts into the regular season.

First baseman Justin Morneau, who rarely played on back-to-back days last spring while recovering from post-concussion symptoms, played for the fifth consecutive game Thursday and went 2 for 3 with a two-run double. Morneau plans on representing Canada in the World Baseball Classic.

"I usually don't worry too much about what I do during spring training, but it's so nice to be able to go out there and play and not worrying about restrictions or limits," said Morneau, who hit .267 with 19 home runs and 77 RBIs last season.

"My body feels good. I've had a pretty good routine going. I've been able to do everything I've wanted to do. It's pretty refreshing and nice to come in here and not worry about not being able to do certain things."

Josh Willingham boosted his spring average to .727 with a pair of hits for the Twins. Willingham also drove in a run, drew a walk and scored twice. Willingham hit a career-best 35 home runs last season, his first as a Twin and his first hitting during most games between Mauer and Morneau in the lineup.

"Joe's always on base," Willingham said. "So that's always a good thing. It's always good to have people on base. And with Morneau hitting behind me, that gives me good protection. So I like that spot. I like that spot for me."

Willingham said he wasn't thinking too much about his hot start. The 34-year-old said he has had a variety of spring performances over the years.

"Sometimes really good," he said. "Sometimes really bad. Sometimes in the middle. You never know. I don't really put a whole lot of stock into it. But it's always really good to see the ball well, especially this early."

Darin Mastroianni, competing for the starting center field job with the Twins, went 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Orioles starter Jair Jurrjens, a non-roster invitee, gave up three walks, three runs -- two earned -- on two hits in one inning.

"My timing today was way off," Jurrjens said. "I wasn't finishing the ball, it was starting a ball and then finishing a ball. It wasn't looking like a strike and then finishing a ball.

"I think having been in bad habits for a couple of years. I just got to figure out how to get the good habits back, the good timing. Get that feel back."

Game notes Cuban defector Hector Urrutia, who the Orioles signed to a $778,500 contract last July, has arrived in the U.S. Executive vice president of baseball operations said Urrutia, who has obtained a work visa, will report to the team's minor league complex in Sarasota for a physical. The 26-year-old outfielder was stuck in Haiti since July. ... RHP Jason Hammel will get his first start of the spring on Friday against Pittsburgh RHP James McDonald.

Spring Observations: How to throw a better slider, with Mike Pelfrey

Phil Mackey / 1500ESPN.com – 2/28/13 FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Mike Pelfrey may have worked his way back from May 1 Tommy John surgery earlier than most pitchers would have, but there have been some recent hurdles for him to clear.

~ 12 ~

For one, he was hit pretty hard in his first spring start in Dunedin earlier this week.

Pelfrey also had trouble getting a feel for his slider earlier this spring, which isn't necessarily out of the ordinary considering most pitchers struggle with command after Tommy John surgery.

How did Pelfrey go about attempting to fix his slider?

Like anybody else looking to solve a problem -- he Googled it.

"I actually did that a couple weeks ago," Pelfrey said. "I was throwing early in camp, and I was like, 'Man, this thing's terrible.' So I Googled it, and I joke around with guys, and I tell guys that... But it's true. Then I ended up going back to the slider that I threw before. It was actually pretty good the other day in the game."

Like, YouTube videos?

"Yeah, I was watching grips and reading articles," Pelfrey said. "There was probably five to six articles. I just Googled 'How to throw a slider' and started going through... Guys joke around, but hey, if it works you're not going to be joking then. It's not going to be funny then. It'll be great."

It's tough to be judgmental. Most of us, including myself, have Googled, 'How to tie a tie' at one point or another, or perhaps other embarrassing queries.

"Anything that you can pick up, no matter how you pick it up, it's helpful," Pelfrey said. "Why not use it?"

Pelfrey's second spring start is schedule for Sunday.

No boxscores General manager Terry Ryan rarely looks at boxscores during spring training. In fact, one person high up in the organization said earlier this week, somewhat jokingly, that Ryan will "rip it up and throw it away" if anyone hands him a boxscore for a spring game.

So, if Ryan isn't looking at batting averages, RBIs and other numbers during spring training, what is he looking for when evaluating, say, an Aaron Hicks?

"Situations, first off," Ryan said. "What kind of situations is he in? Does he need to move a runner? Does he need to take a walk, for instance? If the bases are loaded, is he going to be swinging at strikes? Stuff like that.

"I don't look at whether or not he gets a hit. Obviously I know that he's got his share already, as has (Josh) Willingham and a few other guys. But if they're squaring balls up, and they're swinging at strikes and they're taking what the pitcher gives... If the pitcher is wild, and you go up there and you start flailing away, you're going to end up back in the minor leagues."

For a guy like Hicks who is battling for a 25-man roster spot without having ever played a game above Double-A, numbers do matter to some degree. It would be tough to send him north if he bats .150 in spring training.

But "You don't have to hit .300," Ryan added. "If you're going to make a ball club, his defense would be part of it, his base stealing ability would be part of it. His ability to be a catalyst where he'll hit (in the order)... So those types of job descriptions, he needs to do some of that stuff, not necessarily hit .300."

Hicks tallied two hits in Thursday's B-game against the Red Sox at JetBlue Park. He's off to a hot start this week.

Minnesota East Either the stars were aligned at Hammond Stadium on Thursday, or Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter is a clever guy. The Orioles came down from Sarasota with three former Twins in their starting lineup -- shortstop Alexi Casilla, Lew Ford and Danny Valencia. ~ 13 ~

Apparently adding J.J. Hardy to that lineup would have made things too confusing.

All three received warm ovations, but Ford was the only one who was able to reach base -- a sharp single to center on the first pitch he saw from Liam Hendriks in the first inning. Valencia struck out swinging against Hendriks then later flew out against Cole De Vries. Casilla went 0- for-3.

Ford hit .272/.349/.402 with 32 home runs and 47 stolen bases in parts of five seasons with the Twins, the last coming in 2007. He spent the next few years playing all over the world, from Japan to Mexico, then eventually caught on with Baltimore in 2012.

Casilla was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Nov. 2. He hit .250/.305/.334 with 71 steals in parts of seven seasons in Minnesota. Valencia was traded by the Twins to the Red Sox on Aug. 5 last year, then purchased by Baltimore on Nov. 28.

Former Twins farmhands Jason Pridie and Steve Pearce also saw action in Thursday's game.

Twins GM says prospect Alex Meyer is ‘just funky enough to be scary’

Phil Mackey / 1500ESPN.com – 2/28/13

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- General manager Terry Ryan has spent a lot of time watching some of the Minnesota Twins' top young pitching prospects this spring.

Just this week alone he has watched Alex Meyer pitch two innings in an intrasquad game on a side field outside Hammond Stadium, and on Thursday he drove a few miles down the road to watch Meyer face the Red Sox in a B-game at JetBlue Park.

Meyer held the Sox scoreless over two innings, striking out two and pitching his way around a leadoff double in the second frame. "He was probably as impressive as you were hoping to see," Ryan said. "He threw hard, he's got a power sinker, he's got a power , he was throwing strikes, he was competitive, he was aggressive. ...

"Meyer is just funky enough to be scary, because he is 6-9, and it is a little bit of a low three-quarters (delivery), and the ball really sinks. It's tough to throw 94, 95, 96 miles per hour with that type of sink, because when you throw that hard you'd think it wouldn't have time to sink. Well, his has power sink."

When Meyer eventually throws a pitch for the Twins -- something that likely won't happen until 2014, as Meyer has never pitched above A- ball -- he will automatically become the second tallest pitcher in team history behind Jon Rauch (6-11).

With such a large frame, many experts have questioned whether Meyer will be able to repeat his delivery often enough to be a top-of-the- rotation starter. Others have speculated that his three-quarters delivery and lanky stature will eventually lead to arm problems.

"I don't think that anybody is going to be able to predict," Ryan said. "Some guys with the worst mechanics, ultimately had the best stamina, durability and health. ...

"But you watch guys -- and (Roger) Clemens was a prime example. He looked like he was going to break down all the time, because he was such a severe short-armer. And he never broke down. I don't know how anybody can predict. If we felt like we saw something -- most of it's going to be the lower half, the landing, the balance and all that type of stuff. Your arm action usually is the arm action you started to throw when you were about four years old and started playing catch with your dad."

The Twins have had two top prospects undergo Tommy John surgery over the last 18 months -- Kyle Gibson and -- so it's understandable why there may be some paranoia.

But for now, Ryan likes what he sees in Meyer.

Hitters don't.

~ 14 ~

Reality from Fort Myers: Recalling the Replacements

Patrick Reusse / 1500ESPN.com – 3/1/13

FORT MYERS _ Sunday will be the 18th anniversary of the Twins' first replacement game. The Twins will make a short drive north on Interstate 75 to Port Charlotte for an exhibition game with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Twins made a longer trip north _ to Bradenton _ on March 3, 1995, to formally unveil their collection of intended strike-breakers vs. Pittsburgh's.

Manager was already agitated at the prospect of putting these ragamuffins in big-league uniforms, and then I-75 turned into the nightmare it can be on occasion.

The team bus, with Kelly, his staff and 23 of the Twins' 44 nominated replacements, encountered two massive traffic jams, adding an hour to the trip. When the bus finally reached McKechnie Field, one of the first people Kelly encountered was Dick Vitale, spouting as always.

Vitale was a regular at Pirates' exhibitions when not off making noise in college basketball arenas.

Kelly listened to Vitale for 30 seconds and that was it. "I told him I had something to do,'' the Twins manager said. "I don't need that ... not today.''

I was having a pregame conversation with Kelly when infielder Joey Aragon, a short guy in his 30s, walked by. He was a former Twins farmhand and Kelly was asked if he had managed Aragon in the minor leagues.

"I managed him,'' Kelly said. "He always had ice packs. I saw him in the clubhouse the other day, wearing the ice. I thought, 'Ice. Now I remember him.' ''

Managers, coaches and officials from all teams had been warned by the MLB honchos not to direct ridicule at the replacements. Kelly was doing his best not to cross the line, even though he had been fuming for three weeks of workouts over the fiasco that he knew was in the offing when the exhibitions started.

The battle between owners and the MLB Players Association that time was over a salary cap. The players had gone on strike after the games of Aug. 11, 1994, a work stoppage that eventually cancelled the rest of the season and playoffs. The was not played for the first time in 90 years.

In the run-up to 1995 spring training, the owners voted 25-3 to implement a salary cap, and later said they were "committed'' to playing the season with the best players available.

The Players Association was always a couple of steps ahead of the owners in those days and one example was this: The union had gone to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and was able to get a ruling that foreign players would have their visas revoked if they played in games during the strike.

Behind the scenes, the owners had been counting on being able to use many Latin American veterans who had been stuck in the minors or were recently without a baseball job to fill out the rosters.

When teams didn't have that option, they were stuck with U.S. citizens from independent leagues, retired lists or, in the Twins' case, a few from town-team ball back in Minnesota.

The Twins beat Pittsburgh 6-4 in that first replacement game. The most-notable hit was a double from Jay Kvasnicka, mostly because the line drive sounded as if it came off the bat of a real ballplayer.

Kvasnicka, a former outfielder in the Twins' system, had not played a game since September 1992. He finished that season at Class AA Orlando.

~ 15 ~

"I wasn't going to be moving up to triple-A, and Marty Cordova and Rich Becker were catching me,'' Kvasnicka said. "I had an agreement with my wife: If we were going up, I would keep playing. If we were going down, I would quit.''

Jay's son Mike would become a star at Lakeville North, then a standout for the Gophers. He was drafted 33rd overall in 2010 and received a $936,000 bonus from the .

Mike has played and done some catching in Houston's system. He showed power with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs in 86 Class A games last season. His father and the other replacements in the spring of 1995 received $5,000 to sign for spring training, and would get another bonus of $5,000 if they made the opening day roster.

Replacement ball never made it that far. On March 31, Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the Second District Court of Appeals saved MLB from itself, issuing a preliminary injunction against the owners that basically upheld an unfair labor charge.

The owners gave up and the strike ended on April 2, one day before the season had been scheduled to start. The real players then came to spring training and a shortened season _ from 162 games to 144 _ started at the end of the month.

An enormous wave of salary inflation hit baseball after the owners' failed attempt to finally get a big victory over the players' union. Commissioner Bud Selig now brags about nearly two decades of labor peace _ without mentioning that the main reason for this is that the owners have never again attempted to implement a salary cap.

That exists in the NFL, NBA and NHL, but Selig has concentrated on implementing larger amounts of revenue sharing to keep some measure of competitive balance.

As for the replacements, one fellow who still can feel it in his right foot is Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. He was the third-base coach on that March day in Bradenton 18 years ago.

Gardenhire was moving down the line, trying to decide whether to send one of the replacements home on a base hit to the outfield. Jim Boudreau, the Pirates pitcher, was running to cover a base and collided with Gardenhire, rupturing the Achilles tendon in Gardy's right foot and causing him to miss several weeks of the season.

"It wasn't the pitcher's fault; it was baseball,'' Gardenhire said that day, kindly.

It was sort of baseball ... and something the owners don't figure to try again if they ever get back to battling with the players union.

Twins’ Plouffe enjoys life as a big leaguer

David Dorsey / news-press.com – 3/1/13

The children gathered around Minnesota Twins . Then they followed him across the field, down the Hammond Stadium dugout steps and into the Minnesota Twins clubhouse Thursday morning as if he were the pied piper.

Plouffe, 26, led the way for a handful of Lee County children who have what others so desperately need. As part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, these children have adults in their lives who care about them, mentor them and have fun with them.

There’s just one problem: the organization has more children on a waiting list than adults to spend a suggested minimum of one hour a week with them.

There are 110 children ages 5-to-16 paired with adults in Lee County, said Angela Melvin, the non-profit’s community resource director in Fort Myers. She said of that number, about 60 percent are girls and 40 percent boys. The organization needs more men involved with these children, who come from one-parent homes or homes in which both parents are spread too thin.

~ 16 ~

“We started what we call the sports buddies program,” Melvin said. “We have an overwhelming number of boys who need mentoring. Through the love of the game, they develop a bond.”

Plouffe lent his presence for the public service announcement, which will air on Fox-4 TV throughout this baseball season. The filming took about 40 minutes. Afterward, Plouffe paraded the children into the clubhouse and gave everyone a bottle of Gatorade.

Just before filming resumed on the field, Plouffe took off running. He went back into the clubhouse and emerged with one more bottle of Gatorade for the one girl who didn’t go into the clubhouse.

Plouffe said he jumped at the chance to help Big Brothers Big Sisters. He read from a few cue cards for the camera crew.

“Don’t just sit on the bench,” Plouffe read. “Get in the game. Be a friend. Be a mentor. Be a Big.”

Plouffe credited his biological brother, Marshall Plouffe, who is four years older, for motivating him.

“I have a big brother in my life who was a mentor for me and an influence for me,” Trevor Plouffe said. “I always wanted to be like him and do whatever he did. He loves baseball, and I love baseball. He comes out whenever he can, and we talk all the time.”

That Big Brothers Big Sisters used Plouffe to do the ad signaled he has further established himself as a big-league player.

Plouffe, the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2004 draft out of Encino (Calif.) Crespi Carmelite High School, played for the Class A Fort Myers Miracle in 2006, hitting .246 with four home runs and 45 RBI. He hit his stride in 2011, hitting .313 in 51 games for Triple-A Rochester. Plouffe hit just .235 last season for the Twins, but he finished with 24 home runs and 55 RBI in 422 at-bats.

“Putting the ball in the seats as many times as he did, no matter how many games he played, that’s pretty good,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “So he earned it. It’s up to him how he plays and how long he plays.”

Now recovered from a thumb injury that hampered his batting average in the second half of 2012, Plouffe has high hopes for 2013. “I feel good,” Plouffe said. “I just want to contribute. It’s fun for me to know where I’m going to be playing, coming in to spring training knowing I’m going to be on the team.”

Plouffe played mostly shortstop in the minor leagues with stints in the outfield, second base and first base. He essentially learned to play third base on the fly and in the big leagues.

“There’s always pressure,” Plouffe said. “You want to be a good defender. It’s something I’ve been working on. I’ve got to get used to the first step and the corner and the angles. Because I haven’t played there much, I’m going to continue to work on it.

“It was good for me to get some playing time. I got some quality at-bats. Then I had the injury and kind of tailed off at the end.”

With Plouffe seeming ready for a surge, Twins general manager Terry Ryan did not sign a free agent third baseman during the offseason. “He had a couple of successful months, and he hit the ball hard,” Ryan said. “He has played enough shortstop. Those guys are athletic enough to make that move.”

Sean Spoor, 31, and Ben Simmons, 65, are “big brothers” in Big Brothers Big Sisters. They each admitted to never having heard of Plouffe prior to Thursday.

Plouffe has won them over as fans now. Now Plouffe hopes to win over the Twins as their full-time third baseman. Since 2002, the Twins have started , Michael Cuddyer, Tony Batista, Nick Punto, , and Danny Valencia at third base on opening day.

“There’s always competition,” Plouffe said of potentially filling that role in years to come. “You always want to have that drive. I don’t take anything for granted at all.”

~ 17 ~