Some leftover stuff from the homestand.

I thought Gardy was joking after Saturday’s game when he said the trainers got a game ball for getting Alexi Casilla back on the field after his finger injury. But it’s true.

Twins trainers Rick McWane and Dave Pruemer had Casilla soak his finger in whatever concoction they came up with, and it worked. Casilla started on Saturday and had a big two-run double in the sixth.

Pruemer said it was the first time he’s ever received a game ball.

I just don’t get Denard Span. After not drawing a lot of walks in his minor league career, Span has turned it around  this year. I mentioned in a spring training story that Span had offseason laser surgery on his right eye, and it looks like it has worked wonders for his batting eye.

But that’s not why I’m surprised. Span was hitting .174 against lefthanders at Class AAA Rochester. He’s 3 for 8 with a walk against lefties for the Twins.

Delmon Young is heating up at the plate, going 7 for 13 with a homer, 5 RBI and four runs scored over his past three games.

I was curious to see how he responded to not playing in all three games in San Diego. He had family and friends around but didn’t get on the field as Gardy went with the hot hand. I was told that Craig Monroe talked to Young about the situation. Monroe’s advice: Don’t complain, let your bat do the talking when you get back in there.

Speaking of Monroe, he deserves credit for being able to eliminate the big leg kick he used to have at the plate. A kick like that requires timing, which requires playing everyday. Monroe has adjusted to not being a regular by not moving his front leg much as the ball approaches the plate. And he’s found out that he’s still got power.

“I’m just trying to be the best bench player I can possibly be,” he said recently.

Jason Kubel has done the same thing this year, with good results. 

Francisco Liriano pitched well for Class AAA Rochester on Saturday, shutting out Buffalo for six innings on three hits, one walk and seven strikeouts. He did need 98 pitches to get through six innings.

I’ve been told that Liriano needs to have a long run of outings like Saturday’s (and probably use fewer pitches) before the Twins would consider calling him up. Let’s face it, he’s changing from a power pitcher to someone who has to pitch a little bit, and those transformations can take time.

Carlos Gomez is something else. He was right on Denard Span’s heels on Saturday as both scored on Alexi Casilla’s double, yelling at Span, “Go! Go! Go!” as they rounded the bases.

And finally, there’s always another layer to Michael Cuddyer. I walked by his clubhouse stall on Saturday and spotted a pair of cowboy boots. “Those can’t be yours,” I said. “Of course!” Cuddyer said. “Those are the most comfortable shoes you can wear.”

I’ll post the lineups here when they are released.

10:56 update: The manager has rap music blasting in his office this morning. I guess winning 15 of 17 has that affect.

I wonder which tunes Cliff Lee is listening to this morning….

I’m guessing that Joe Mauer came in and said he needed a day off. He’s batting .308 against Lee while Mike Redmond is 0 for 6. Actually, there are some bad numbers here against Lee - although the samples are small. Kubel is 0 for 6, for instance.

Lineups

Cleveland (37-50): 1. Grady Sizemore, CF. 2. Jamey Carroll, 2B. 3. Ben Francisco, LF. 4. Jhonny Peralta, SS. 5. Casey Blake, 1B. 6. Kelly Shoppach, C. 7. Ryan Garko, DH. 8. Andy Marte, 3B. 9. Franklin Gutierrez, RF. Pitching: Cliff Lee.

Twins (49-38): 1. Carlos Gomez (0 for 3 vs Lee), CF. 2. Alexi Casilla, 2B. 3. Mike Redmond (0 for 6 vs Lee), C. 4. Justin Morneau (4 for 18), 1B. 5. Craig Monroe (4 for 30), DH. 6. Delmon Young (0 for 9),  LF. 7. Brendan Harris (0 for 6), 3B. 8. Nick Punto (3 for 9), SS. 9. Denard Span, RF. Pitching: Glen Perkins.

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