Postgame update: Span headed to Minnesota to see specialist

Posted on June 10th, 2009 – 1:11 AM
By Joe Christensen

OAKLAND, CALIF. — Twins leadoff batter Denard Span is flying back to Minnesota on Wednesday to see a specialist after experiencing dizziness for the second time in a month.

Span left Tuesday night’s 10-5 victory over Oakland in the third inning. He missed two games, May 24-25, with dizziness and fatigue. He had blood tests taken, and doctors suspected a potential thyroid issue at the time. He was told to see a specialist if he had another incident.

Span, 25, said the issue had subsided, but Tuesday’s symptoms were similar.

“Everything except for my energy level,” Span said. “The energy’s fine. It’s just I’m feeling the same as far as dizzy. I feel like I can’t focus or concentrate when I’m hitting. I can kind of get away with it when I’m playing defense because things aren’t happening as fast in the outfield. The last couple days I’ve been feeling it a little bit, but as the game would go on, things would get a little better.”

Span said he felt dizzy again during batting practice Tuesday but assumed he would get better.

“My last at-bat [a second inning strikeout], I just didn’t even see the ball,” Span said. “I’m just ready to see what’s going on and turn the page, hopefully.”

Span said he hoped to be in Chicago by the time the Twins open a three-game series with the Cubs on Friday, but he was uncertain how soon he’d be able to see a doctor Wednesday after a long flight.

“I thought about different things it could be, but I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think it’s anxiety. I’m more comfortable than I was last year, so I don’t feel like it’s that. I’m not sure if it has something to do with me getting Lasik eye surgery [after the 2007 season] on one side and not on the other. There’s a lot of things I’m thinking about, so hopefully we’ll find out. I’ve never felt this way playing baseball, I know that.”

CREDE’S INJURY NOT SERIOUS

Joe Crede had a bruised left forearm after getting hit with a pitch by Edgar Gonzalez in the eighth inning.

“Crede’s fine,” Manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He had a little graze — just another dot on him. He’s got plenty of those.”

I wonder if the A’s were taking out revenge for the barrage of Twins hits, not to mention Anthony Swarzak’s beaning of Aaron Cunningham and Luis Ayala’s brushback pitch against Matt Holliday on Monday night.

THAT CRAZY NINTH INNING

Gardenhire gritted his teeth and put on a happy face after the game.

“Well, a win’s a win’s a win’s a win,” he said. “… We missed at least two plays at second base. I don’t know what the glove flip was with Lexi [Casilla]. We’ve just gotta get outs there. We try to do a little too much and end up with the closer in the game, but a great night for our offense, beating the ball around.”

Once Gardenhire mentioned the Span news, it was tough to get into the deeper thoughts about Casilla, Jesse Crain and Jose Mijares. But even if Gardenhire wouldn’t say it, I will: That ninth inning was a debacle, diminishing a lot of the good things that happened earlier.

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