Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Monday, April 9, 2012 Souhan blog: A lost weekend in Baltimore. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 2 Twins fondly recall 2002 fun; reunion on Monday. Associated Press (Campbell) p. 2 Hartman: Ryan not in panic after Twins swept. Star Tribune (Hartman) p. 4 Burroughs gets early look at third. Star Tribune (Christensen) p. 6 Postgame: Not a great weekend for the Twins bullpen, either. Star Tribune (Christensen) p. 7 Souhan: Angst, not hope, springs eternal for Twins. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 8 Twins' goal: Get back on target at Target Field. Star Tribune (Christensen) p. 9 For Angels, heaven is a killer roster. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 10 Nick Blackburn’s improved elbow earns home-opening start for Twins. Pioneer Press (Murphy) p. 11 Orioles 3, Twins 1: Josh Hammels mows down Twins. Pioneer Press (Murphy) p. 13 Twins’ bats remain silent as team falls to 0-3. Pioneer Press (Murphy) p. 13 Tom Powers: Minnesota Twins’ payroll is down for a good reason. Pioneer Press (Powers) p. 15 Doumit gets first start at catcher. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 16 Wilson makes Angels debut vs. Twins’ Blackburn. MLB.com (Walker) p. 17 Twins not worried despite rough start to season. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 19 Offense punchless again as Twins drop to 0-3 for first time since 1981. Associated Press (Staff) p. 20 Numbers game: Why infield defense remains biggest key to Twins’ season. 1500ESPN.com (Mackey) p. 22 Zulgad: Surprised by lost weekend in Baltimore? You shouldn’t be. 1500ESPN.com (Zulgad) p. 23 Twins look to bounce back for home opener. Associated Press. p. 25 Twins hope home opener provides spark. FSNorth.com (Mason) p. 26 Rochester Red Wings’ Jeff Manship solid in loss to Bisons. Democrat and Chronicle (Oklaobzija) p. 27 Top Twitter Mentions p. 29 ~ 1 ~ Souhan blog: A lost weekend in Baltimore By: Jim Souhan, Star Tribune- 4/8/12 The Twins managed five runs in 27 innings against a last-place team and three starting pitchers the average fan has never heard of. What was even more alarming to me was the mistakes that were made this weekend. Danny Valencia was a mess at third. Josh Willingham made a couple of nice plays (one strong throw and one brave collision with the wall) in left but also made two errors in two innings. Sunday, reliever Matt Maloney didn't hold runners well, and Luke Hughes didn't hold the runner on second, and the Orioles executed a double steal that had the Twins' staff steaming. Saturday, Jared Burton gave up two home runs on changeups even though the scouting report said not to throw changeups to the hitters in question, meaning catcher Joe Mauer and Burton weren't paying attention. Quickly, to the positives from the weekend: 1. Jamey Carroll is a wonderful fielder. He may lack exceptional range, but he makes every play within his grasp. 2. Justin Morneau swung the bat with authority, hitting two doubles and two more deep drives. He looks like a slightly skinnier version of his old self, and it's obvious moving him to DH has relieved a lot of stress on him. 3. Sean Burroughs is the gamer the Twins have been saying he is. He made two fine plays at third on Sunday, one a basket catch over his head in foul territory that required a slide on the harsh surface of the warning track, and a fine diving stab to his left. I grew up watching Brooks Robinson and Mark Belanger in Baltimore, and reading Brooks' books, and he always said that great plays started with anticipation. That's Valencia's problem: He's thinking about his last at-bat, and by the time he reacts to the ball it's too late. 4. Anthony Swarzak could pitch in the big leagues for a long time because of his attitude. He never complains about his role, and on Sunday, pitching for the ill Liam Hendriks, he gave the Twins five strong innings. 5. Glen Perkins pitched well in his lone inning of the weekend. The Twins are 63-106 in their last 169 meaningful games, and now will play their next 16 games against the Angels, Rangers, Yankees, Rays and Red Sox. Baseball seasons are like major championships: You can't win them early, but you can lose them early. The Twins are in danger of falling out of contention before the end of the month. Twins fondly recall 2002 fun; reunion on Monday By: Dave Campbell, Associated Press- 4/9/12 MINNEAPOLIS - Ten years ago, approaching a promising 2002 season, the Minnesota Twins nearly had their franchise wiped out. ~ 2 ~ Then they finished three wins short of the World Series. "It was one of those `take that' kinds of things," said manager Ron Gardenhire, reflecting on his first year running the team. "Take that, baseball." Gardenhire's bunch of outspoken, scrappy, prank-prone characters used strong chemistry, the best defense in the majors and a relatively weak division to win 94 games and reach the playoffs for the first time since the 1991 championship season. The Twins will mark the 10-year anniversary of that team as part of their home opener festivities on Monday, when they host the Los Angeles Angels to start their third season at Target Field. Doug Mientkiewicz, Eddie Guardado, Brad Radke, Jacque Jones, Corey Koskie and Denny Hocking are scheduled to take part in a pregame rally downtown, throw out ceremonial first pitches and lead the singing during the seventh- inning stretch. After a plan hatched by baseball's owners to get rid of the Twins and the Montreal Expos for financial reasons was thwarted in a Minnesota court, they became the sport's classic overachievers by reaching the American League championship series with a bargain-store budget. A young group of players drafted and developed by the organization that learned and matured together in the minors began to flourish at just the right time, making Twins games a popular way to spend a summer night again in Minnesota. "We had an attitude," said first baseman Mientkiewicz, now a hitting coach in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system. "We finally got good, and we knew what we were walking into. We were like, `You can't take that away from us now.'" Gardenhire was given the job before he knew whether the job would still exist. "We're very proud of this baseball team, and it was a slap in the face to say we were going to get contracted," he said. "The expectations from the outside world weren't that high, but we all felt pretty good about ourselves, so we just ran with it." The Twins love their reunions, having held several celebrations of their 1987 and 1991 championship teams over the years at milestone anniversaries. The 2002 team didn't win a title. But purely from a popularity standpoint, it's up there with any in the franchise. And considering the dark contraction cloud that hung over their heads entering that season, their accomplishments were remarkable. The Angels are a fitting opponent for this event. Outfielder Torii Hunter and reliever LaTroy Hawkins are with the Angels, 10 years after playing key roles for those Twins. Manager Mike Scioscia was in the dugout back then, too, when the Angels beat the Twins in the ALCS. Hunter and Hawkins are part of a dwindling number of players from the 2002 Twins whose careers are continuing with other teams, along with Pierzynski, David Ortiz, Michael Cuddyer, Johan Santana, Kyle Lohse and J.C. Romero. Mientkiewicz, Jones, Hocking, Tom Prince and Matthew LeCroy are either managing or coaching around the minor leagues. The others have scattered about, but the memories remain strong. Many of them are close friends. "When we broke that group up, I thought I'd never play with another group like that. That was a group that you really call family," said Guardado, the gritty All-Star closer from that team. "Not only that, but everyone contributed. We all picked each other up. We all got on each other and nobody took it personally." Like the day during spring training when Koskie put peanut butter in an unsuspecting Ortiz's underwear and lined his pants with ice cubes. "That team had everything. We cheered for one another. We spent so much time with one another that we didn't need to be told to do what to prepare," Mientkiewicz said. "We had our shortcomings on the field, but the fact that we were together and that we knew what to expect from the guy to our right and to our left won us a lot of games." The Twins are trying to rediscover that spark, following a 63-99 finish in 2011. ~ 3 ~ They'll send Nick Blackburn to the mound on Monday, his first attempt to rediscover the rhythm he had his first two years in the majors. The last two seasons have been rough, the last one cut short by a forearm problem, and for a pitch-to-contact right-hander who can't strike many batters out he needs to get his sinker going against this imposing Angels lineup. "We've got some talent, and I feel like we're going to be a competitive team," Blackburn said. "We've picked up a lot of guys after last season, and I feel like it's been a good change. I personally have confidence going in with this team." The Twins will find out quickly whether that's true.