I think the Twins lineup you’re about to read could be very close to the Opening Day lineup.

Reds: 1. Freel, RF. 2. Patterson, CF. 3. Phillips, 2B. 4. Dunn, DH. 5. Encarnacion, 3B. 6. Hatteberg, 1B. 7. Keppinger, SS. 8. Hopper, LF. 9. Bako, C. Pitching: Bailey.

Twins: 1. Gomez, CF. 2. Mauer, C. 3. Cuddyer, RF. 4. Morneau, 1B. 5. Young, LF. 6. Monroe, DH. 7. Lamb, 3B. 8. Harris, 2B. 9. Everett, SS.  Pitching: Slowey, then Nathan, Crain, Rincon, Keisler, Barrett.

[update]: Gardy indicated before the game that, with a day game tomorrow and a road trip to Jupiter on Friday (Gardy will follow MLB rules and bring four regulars) he decided not to start Kubel today. He did, however, say that Monroe would be used some against righthanders during the season, based on who’s hot, who’s slumping and who needs a day off.

A COUPLE GAME NOTES: Dan Gladden, finally, caught a foul ball during the game. He had Kent Hrbek in the booth when the ball came flying back. The Dazzle Man quickly slipped on the glove that’s been collecting dust in the booth, stood up and caught the ball. I didn’t know what happened until a huge roar rose from the road.

Go-Go Gomez was at it again in the seventh inning. He beat out a slow two-hopper to short - by a step - for an infield hit. With a runner on third, Gomez took off for second and didn’t draw a throw - but he dove into second anyway! The middle infielders never left their positions!

Second base umpire Tim Tschida (what a coincidence) waited until Gomez got up and made eye contact with him before he emphatically signaled him safe. Hilarious…

“He needed to slide into second base or he would have ran into the left fielder,” one pressbox wag said.

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