Results tagged ‘ Josh Willingham ’
Game 29: Span sits out for first time this season
MINNEAPOLIS — Denard Span is out of the starting lineup for the first time this season after colliding with the center-field fence in last night’s game.
Span said he didn’t ask for the day off but was a little bit shaken up after running into the wall. So it’s more for precautionary reasons, as he’s expected to return to the lineup tomorrow.
Erik Komatsu gets the start at center field in his place and is batting leadoff against Angels right-hander Dan Haren.
Left fielder Josh Willingham is also back in the lineup after missing last night’s game with a skin infection.
Angels (13-17)
1. Mike Trout, CF
2. Alberto Callaspo, 3B
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Torii Hunter, RF
5. Mark Trumbo, DH
6. Howie Kendrick, 2B
7. Vernon Wells, LF
8. Erick Aybar, SS
9. Chris Iannetta, C
RHP Dan Haren (1-2, 3.43 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 39 1/3 IP, 35 K, 7 BB, 5 HR)
Twins (7-21)
1. Erik Komatsu, CF
2. Brian Dozier, SS
3. Joe Mauer, 1B
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Ryan Doumit, DH
6. Danny Valencia, 3B
7. Trevor Plouffe, RF
8. Drew Butera, C
9. Jamey Carroll, 2B
LHP Scott Diamond (Season debut)
Game 28: Dozier set to make Major League debut
MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins get another crack at Angels ace Jered Weaver tonight after he thew a no-hitter against them on Wednesday in Anaheim.
Weaver is looking to make history, as Johnny Vander Meer remains the only pitcher to throw back-to-back no-hitters and that came all the way back in 1938.
He’ll see a new face in the lineup, however, as the Twins recalled shortstop Brian Dozier from Triple-A Rochester. He’s set to make his Major League debut at shortstop, and is the second hitter in the lineup.
Dozier, who hit .276/.339/.371 with a homer and seven doubles in 28 games in Triple-A, said he’s excited about making his debut.
“I’ve been dreaming about it for 20-something years now,” Dozier said.
Josh Willingham is also out of the lineup tonight. More to come.
Angels (12-17)
1. Maicer Izturis, SS
2. Alberto Callaspo, 3B
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Torii Hunter, RF
5. Mark Trumbo, DH
6. Howard Kendrick, 2B
7. Vernon Wells, LF
8. Chris Iannetta, C
9. Peter Bourjos, CF
RHP Jered Weaver (4-0, 1.61 ERA, 1.99 FIP, 44 2/3 IP, 45 K, 7 BB, 2 HR)
Twins (7-20)
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Brian Dozier, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Ryan Doumit, DH
5. Danny Valencia, 3B
6. Chris Parmelee, 1B
7. Trevor Plouffe, RF
8. Erik Komatsu, LF
9. Jamey Carroll, 2B
LHP Francisco Liriano (0-4, 9.97 ERA, 6.47 FIP, 21 2/3 IP, 17 K, 16 BB, 5 HR)
Game 21: Gardenhire sticks with same lineup
MINNEAPOLIS — Twins manager Ron Gardenhire opted to stick with the same lineup today that he had written out for yesterday’s game before it was postponed due to rain.
Left fielder Josh Willingham simply had to wait one extra day to return to action after missing two games to attend the birth of his son, Rogan Jaynes, on Wednesday.
“It’s good to put him back in there,” Gardenhire said. “He’s one guy who’s been swinging it pretty good. It’s good to have him back. It’s beautiful. He has a beautiful kid. So there you go. They got their work done and we got our player back. Good stuff.”
Joe Mauer also is back in at catcher, as he’s started all 21 games this season, which is a far cry from last season when he didn’t play in his 21st game until June 29.
“It’s a good thing,” Gardenhire said. “We’re not rehabbing injuries now. It’s just maintenance and preparing for the next day. Every day I go up to him and ask how he’s doing, and he says he’s doing fine. So he’s ready to go. Yesterday I had him as DH, but he said he really wanted to catch, so that’s good. I like that.”
The Twins still haven’t decided when he’ll get a day off. But Mauer, who played in just 82 games last year, said he’s happy to be seeing regular playing time so far this season.
“That’s what I wanted,” Mauer said. “Obviously I love to play this game, and I love to be out there whenever I can. This year it’s been pretty good.”
Royals (6-14)
1. Chris Getz, 2B
2. Alex Gordon, LF
3. Billy Butler, DH
4. Eric Hosmer, 1B
5. Jeff Francoeur, RF
6. Mike Moustakas, 3B
7. Brayan Pena, C
8. Alcides Escobar, SS
9. Jarrod Dyson, CF
LHP Bruce Chen (0-2, 2.52 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 25 IP, 17 K, 4 BB, 3 HR)
Twins (5-15)
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Jamey Carroll, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Justin Morneau, 1B
6. Danny Valencia, 3B
7. Ryan Doumit, DH
8. Trevor Plouffe, RF
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B
RHP Jason Marquis (1-0, 7.15 ERA, 6.13 FIP, 11 1/3 IP, 6 K, 2 BB, 3 HR)
Game 19: Revere recalled from Triple-A, in Twins lineup
MINNEAPOLIS — Ben Revere was officially recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take the place of Josh Willingham, who was placed on paternity leave, and is starting in left field against the Red Sox tonight.
Revere, who was optioned to Triple-A on April 14 when the club claimed outfielder Clete Thomas off waivers from the Tigers, said he’s not sure if his callup will be a temporary or permanent one. Willingham is expected to return in time for Saturday’s game against the Royals.
“They said it would be three days or the rest of the season,” Revere said. “It’s a big gap. I won’t mind that. Just go out there these three days, just get my games in, get my at-bats, anything I can do to help this team win. Hopefully, I can stay.”
Willingham’s wife, Ginger, gave birth to the couple’s third child this afternoon, a boy named Rogan James. Here’s a picture of Willingham with his newborn son, courtesy of Ginger’s Twitter account.
Red Sox (6-10)
1. Mike Aviles, SS
2. Ryan Sweeney, RF
3. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
8. Cody Ross, LF
9. Marlon Byrd, CF
RHP Clay Buchholz (1-1, 9.00 ERA, 7.86 FIP, 17 IP, 9 K, 7 BB)
Twins (5-13)
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Jamey Carroll, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, DH
5. Chris Parmelee, 1B
6. Trevor Plouffe, RF
7. Sean Burroughs, 3B
8. Ben Revere, LF
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B
RHP Liam Hendriks (0-0, 3.86 ERA, 5.92 FIP, 11 2/3 IP, 5 K, 2 BB)
Game 18: Twins to recall Revere
MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins will recall outfielder Ben Revere from Triple-A Rochester in time for Wednesday’s game, as Josh Willingham will be placed on paternity leave to attend the birth of his son.
Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 was the first to report that Revere will be recalled.
Revere was optioned to Triple-A on April 14, when the club claimed outfielder Clete Thomas off waivers from the Tigers. Revere hit .222 in six games with Rochester while seeing time at all three outfield positions.
Willingham could return in time for Friday’s game against the Royals, but there’s still a chance he won’t make his return until Saturday. He can be on paternity leave for a maximum of three days.
Right-hander Nick Blackburn gets the start tonight against the Red Sox after missing his last start with stiffness in his right shoulder. He fared just fine in two bullpen sessions, but it’ll interesting to see how he feels tonight.
Red Sox (5-10)
1. Mike Aviles, SS
2. Ryan Sweeney, RF
3. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
7. Cody Ross, LF
8. Marlon Byrd, CF
9. Kelly Shoppach, C
RHP Josh Beckett (1-2, 5.03 ERA, 6.24 FIP, 19 2/3 IP, 11 K, 3 BB)
Twins (5-12)
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Jamey Carroll, SS
3. Joe Mauer, 1B
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Justin Morneau, DH
6. Ryan Doumit, C
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Chris Parmelee, RF
9. Trevor Plouffe, 2B
RHP Nick Blackburn (0-1, 5.56 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 11 1/3 IP, 6 K, 3 BB)
Game 17: Liriano to skip his next start
MINNEAPOLIS — In an effort to help him clear his head after struggling in four outings so far this season, the Twins will skip left-hander Francisco Liriano’s turn in the rotation this week.
Minnesota has an off-day on Thursday, which allows the Twins to go with a four-man rotation before Liriano makes his next start on Tuesday in Anaheim. Liriano allowed five runs in five innings yesterday against the Rays, and has an 11.02 ERA with 12 strikeouts and 13 walks in 16 1/3 innings.
Gardenhire told Liriano of the club’s decision during a meeting today that also included pitching coach Rick Anderson. Anderson is set to watch Liriano throw bullpen sessions on Thursday and Saturday.
“It’s about being able to relax on the mound and he knows that,” Gardenhire said. “He actually says he has confidence. But he’ll tell you straight out that when he gets men out there he starts spinning ‘em. So he’s got to be able to control that. It’s a work in progress. We’re letting him take a step back and relax a little bit.”
In other news, second baseman Alexi Casilla was a late scratch with flu-like symptoms. Trevor Plouffe moves from left field to second base to take his place in the lineup, while Chris Parmelee makes his first career start in left field.
Left fielder Josh Willingham will also be placed on paternity leave on Wednesday to attend the birth of his third son with his wife Ginger. The Twins will call somebody up to replace him, even though he could return as early as Friday. My best guess is that Revere gets the call, but we’ll see.
Justin Morneau also makes his second start of the season at first base tonight.
Red Sox (4-10)
1. Mike Aviles, SS
2. Ryan Sweeney, RF
3. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
8. Cody Ross, RF
9. Marlon Byrd, CF
LHP Jon Lester (0-2, 5.82. 3.88 FIP, 17 IP, 12 K, 9 BB)
Twins (5-11)
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Jamey Carroll, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Josh Willingham, DH
5. Justin Morneau, 1B
6. Ryan Doumit, RF
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Chris Parmelee, LF
9. Trevor Plouffe, 2B
RHP Jason Marquis (1-0, 7.20, 6.14 FIP, 5 IP, 3 K, 2 BB)
Game 10: Morneau at first base, batting fifth
NEW YORK — Justin Morneau is making his first start of the season at first base tonight against the Yankees, and is also batting fifth for just the second time since 2007.
Twins manager Ron Garenhire approached Morneau before the game about batting fifth with Josh Willingham batting cleanup, and Morneau told him he was also ready to play first. So Gardenhire decided it was a good time to get Morneau at first, although they haven’t plotted when he’ll play first again.
“We’re just going to go day by day with it,” Gardenhire said. “It’s not going to be starting every day right now, do it and let him go back to DH. What I do like about it it gives me options to give Joe Mauer a day to DH and nothing in the field. Right now, he just goes and plays first base but it is still nine innings on defense the whole package.”
There was also plenty of other news today, including the fact that left-hander Glen Perkins stayed back in Minnesota with what general manager Terry Ryan called inflammation in his left forearm. Perkins is still day to day, and there remains a chance he’ll avoid the disabled list.
Right-hander Nick Blackburn will also miss his next start, as right-hander Anthony Swarzak will pitch in his place Thursday in New York. But Blackburn will throw bullpens on Friday and Sunday with the hope of returning on Tuesday.
Jason Marquis also threw a bullpen and said he’s ready to make his start on Wednesday against the Yankees. It’ll mark the first-ever start at Yankee Stadium for the veteran right-hander.
Twins (2-7)
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Jamey Carroll, SS
3. Joe Mauer, DH
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Justin Morneau, 1B
6. Ryan Doumit, C
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Clete Thomas, RF
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B
RHP Carl Pavano (1-0, 5.93 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 13 2/3 IP, 4 K, 2 BB)
Yankees (5-4)
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Curtis Granderson, CF
3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
4. Robinson Cano, 2B
5. Mark Teixeira, 1B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Raul Ibanez, DH
8. Russell Martin, C
9. Brett Gardner, LF
RHP Freddy Garcia (0-0, 5.79 ERA, 6.98 FIP, 4 2/3 IP, 3 K, 3 BB)
Twins announce Opening Day lineup
BALTIMORE — Twins manager Ron Gardenhire announced his lineup for Opening Day against the Orioles tomorrow at Camden Yards.
There were no surprises, but Ryan Doumit will be starting in right field over Trevor Plouffe, as Plouffe is starting the year in a super utility role.
And Justin Morneau will start the year as designated hitter with rookie Chris Parmelee getting his first Opening Day start at first base.
Gardenhire also said his two main setup relievers will be left-hander Glen Perkins and right-hander Jared Burton. He also mentioned left-handers Brian Duensing and Matt Maloney as the two guys he’d look to first if he needs a reliever in the middle innings.
More to come in today’s notebook. But here’s the lineup:
Twins:
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Jamey Carroll, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, DH
5. Josh Willingham, LF
6. Ryan Doumit, RF
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Chris Parmelee, 1B
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B
RHP Carl Pavano
Game 10: Twins lineup vs. split-squad Yankees
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Twins are rolling out their expected Opening Day lineup against the Yankees today at Hammond Stadium.
One Twins pitcher joked that it didn’t surprise him that manager Ron Gardenhire waited until the club played the Yankees to unveil his “A” lineup. So it’ll certainly be interesting to see if they can put some runs on the board, as the offense has mostly struggled so far this spring.
The game, which will be televised on FS North and MLB.TV at 12:05 p.m. CT, will also be a good test for right-hander Nick Blackburn, who is making his Grapefruit League debut.
Blackburn has looked good so far in two “B” games — throwing three scoreless innings against the Red Sox — so we’ll see how he does against a Yankees lineup that includes veterans such as Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and Raul Ibanez.
UPDATE: That didn’t last long. The Twins announced that Denard Span is out with neck stiffness. Joe Benson replaced him and is batting eighth. Ben Revere moves up to leadoff. The updated lineup is below:
Twins (4-5)
1. Ben Revere, LF
2. Jamey Carroll, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Josh Willingham, RF
6. Ryan Doumit, DH
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Joe Benson, CF
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B
RHP Nick Blackburn
Twins reserves: Drew Butera, Dan Rohlfing, Steve Pearce, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Trevor Plouffe, Wilkin Ramirez, Matt Carson
Twins pitchers: Brian Duensing, Jeff Manship, Jason Bulger, Carlos Gutierrez, Tyler Robertson, Brendan Wise, Aaron Thompson, Matt Capps
Yankees (4-4)
1. Brett Gardner, LF
2. Curtis Granderson, CF
3. Nick Swisher, RF
4. Raul Ibanez, DH
5. Francisco Cervelli, C
6. Jorge Vaqzuez 3B,
7. Jayson Nix 2B,
8. Brandon Laird 1B,
9. Ramiro Pena, SS
RHP Phil Hughes
Game 9: Valencia powers Twins to victory
BRADENTON, Fla. — Danny Valencia helped the Twins get out of their offensive slump with a three-run homer to lead the Twins to a 4-2 win over the Pirates on Saturday at McKechnie Field.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Twins, who improved to 4-5 in Grapefruit League play.
What went right: Valencia looked good at the plate, hitting an opposite-field double in the fifth inning off Jo-Jo Reyes before crushing a three-run shot off Reyes in the sixth.
The homer was set up by a two-out walk from Josh Willingham and a single from Justin Morneau. Morneau, who served as designated hitter, went 1-for-4 at the plate, including a deep fly ball to center field in the first. Willingham went 1-for-2 with a walk.
Right-hander Anthony Swarzak tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of right-hander Terry Doyle, who struggled. Jared Burton, Matt Maloney, Kyle Waldrop, Lester Oliveros and P.J. Walters each tossed a scoreless inning.
“They’re doing fine,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of the relievers in camp. “We’re just looking at different guys. We see some guys we like a little bit. We like their arms. We see the ball coming out, but still, they’ve only been out once or twice. I think, let’s give them a couple more times out and see where we’re at.”
What went wrong: Doyle didn’t have his best stuff, as he allowed two runs on seven hits — including three doubles — and a walk over 2 2/3 innings.
Doyle, a Rule 5 Draft pick who must remain on the active roster all season or be offered back to the White Sox, didn’t exactly help his case to make the club. It was also Twins manager Ron Gardenhire’s first time seeing him pitch.
And while Valencia certainly had a good day offensively, the rest of the Twins combined for just four hits — singles from Willingham, Morneau, Rene Rivera and Alexi Casilla.
Also, despite 14 hits, including a homer from Oswaldo Arcia and two doubles from Chris Parmelee, the Twins also lost 8-2 in a “B” game to the Pirates earlier in the day. Scott Baker pitched in two innings, but recorded just four outs, surrendering six runs (five earned) on six hits, including a two-run homer by Matt Hague.
“Baker was not very good at all,” Gardenhire said. “He got beat around pretty good. He threw the ball. We’ll see how he does from there. Maybe that “B” game format, he might need a little more preparation than that riding the bus and all that trying to pitch. He didn’t react well to that.”
What they said: “We had two good ballgames today,” Gardenhire said. “We had 13 or 14 hits in the first one, then out here today we came up with some big hits too. A better day.”
What’s next: Right-hander Nick Blackburn is set to make his Grapefruit League debut on Sunday against the split-squad Yankees at 12:05 p.m. CT at Hammond Stadium. Blackburn has tossed three scoreless innings in two “B” games against the Red Sox this spring. Brian Duensing, Liam Hendriks, Jeff Manship, Tyler Robertson, Brendan Wise and Deolis Guerra are also scheduled to pitch for the Twins. Right-hander Phil Hughes is slated to start for the Yankees.
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- Tsuyoshi Nishioka batting in “B” game
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- Twins dugout during “B” game
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- Alex Burnett pitching in “B” game
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- Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson chatting
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- Scott Baker pitching in “B” game
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- View of McKechnie Field
rhettbollinger
