Sunday Twins-Cards lineups, notes
Twins (38-38)
Denard Span 8
Brendan Harris 6
Joe Mauer 2
Justin Morneau 3
Jason Kubel 7
Michael Cuddyer 9
Joe Crede 5
Matt Tolbert 4
Francisco Liriano 1
Cardinals (41-35)
Skip Schumaker 4
Khalil Greene 5
Albert Pujols 3
Mark DeRosa 7
Ryan Ludwick 9
Rick Ankiel 8
Jason LaRue 2
Joel Pineiro 1
Tyler Greene 6
CARDINALS NOTES:
*I stopped by the Cardinals clubhouse this morning to see if Mark DeRosa had arrived and he took the first flight out of Cleveland and was at the ballpark before 9am. I saw him shaking hands and meeting some of the younger players whom he hadn't met before. He said he was pretty tired but that he would make it through.
*Tyler Greene was excited that he was hitting ninth and not seventh. He said hitting in front of the pitcher, who hits eighth in the Cardinals lineup, was one of the hardest spots to hit because you don't know when they are going to try and pitch around you and when they will go right after you. He said when he was called up the first time earlier this year, he really struggled as he tried to learn how to bat in front of the pitcher. He also said that the ball that hit him in the head last night just grazed his helmet and that he was fine. Greene did say that he watched it on video and that it was a little scary. He was expecting the pitch to break back away from him but that never happened.
TWINS NOTES:
*Twins manager Ron Gardenhire had planned to start Michael Cuddyer at second base today but decided against it when he heard that Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina took some offense to his slide into home plate on Saturday. Had he put Cuddyer at second, Cardinals runners could have turned him into a target and slid hard into him during potential double plays as payback.
"That's why I'm not putting him at second," Gardenhire said Sunday morning. "I can't make him a dart board out there. If they thought that he slid hard or something bad there, I don't know how that goes into the thought process of Yadi if Cuddy is playing second. I'm not going to make him a dart board. I'm not taking that chance.I don't want any extracurricular activity today. It's a nice Sunday in St. Louis."
*Nick Punto is not in the starting lineup for the 5th straight game as he continues to battle some pain in his ribs. Full details, including when he might return, in my story on twinsbaseball.com that should be posted shortly.
*Gardenhire is thrilled that Interleague Play is over. He is not a fan at all. I will have more on that in my preview for tomorrow's Twins matchup in KC agaisnt the Royals.
That's all for now. Have a good afternoon and try to stay cool.
-B.J. Rains
Denard Span 8
Brendan Harris 6
Joe Mauer 2
Justin Morneau 3
Jason Kubel 7
Michael Cuddyer 9
Joe Crede 5
Matt Tolbert 4
Francisco Liriano 1
Cardinals (41-35)
Skip Schumaker 4
Khalil Greene 5
Albert Pujols 3
Mark DeRosa 7
Ryan Ludwick 9
Rick Ankiel 8
Jason LaRue 2
Joel Pineiro 1
Tyler Greene 6
CARDINALS NOTES:
*I stopped by the Cardinals clubhouse this morning to see if Mark DeRosa had arrived and he took the first flight out of Cleveland and was at the ballpark before 9am. I saw him shaking hands and meeting some of the younger players whom he hadn't met before. He said he was pretty tired but that he would make it through.
*Tyler Greene was excited that he was hitting ninth and not seventh. He said hitting in front of the pitcher, who hits eighth in the Cardinals lineup, was one of the hardest spots to hit because you don't know when they are going to try and pitch around you and when they will go right after you. He said when he was called up the first time earlier this year, he really struggled as he tried to learn how to bat in front of the pitcher. He also said that the ball that hit him in the head last night just grazed his helmet and that he was fine. Greene did say that he watched it on video and that it was a little scary. He was expecting the pitch to break back away from him but that never happened.
TWINS NOTES:
*Twins manager Ron Gardenhire had planned to start Michael Cuddyer at second base today but decided against it when he heard that Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina took some offense to his slide into home plate on Saturday. Had he put Cuddyer at second, Cardinals runners could have turned him into a target and slid hard into him during potential double plays as payback.
"That's why I'm not putting him at second," Gardenhire said Sunday morning. "I can't make him a dart board out there. If they thought that he slid hard or something bad there, I don't know how that goes into the thought process of Yadi if Cuddy is playing second. I'm not going to make him a dart board. I'm not taking that chance.I don't want any extracurricular activity today. It's a nice Sunday in St. Louis."
*Nick Punto is not in the starting lineup for the 5th straight game as he continues to battle some pain in his ribs. Full details, including when he might return, in my story on twinsbaseball.com that should be posted shortly.
*Gardenhire is thrilled that Interleague Play is over. He is not a fan at all. I will have more on that in my preview for tomorrow's Twins matchup in KC agaisnt the Royals.
That's all for now. Have a good afternoon and try to stay cool.
-B.J. Rains
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