Orlando Cabrera is getting a day off today, so Nick Punto is starting at short. “He’s played a lot of baseball,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of O-Cab. “So we’ll give him a blow.”

Gardy talked a little before the game about September call ups. It doesn’t sound like Danny Valencia is going to get the call. Gardenhire said Valencia is playing O.K. at Class AAA Rochester, but he’s not on the 40-man roster. The Twins would have to move someone they really don’t want to move off that list to make room for Valencia.

The other factor is that, as long as the Twins have a chance to win the division, they aren’t keen on throwing a rookie into the heat of the race, especially when Valencia isn’t tearing it up at Rochester. Brendan Harris will play third until Joe Crede returns.

Crede, by the way, is going to have a second epidural on Monday. It normally takes 2-3 days for the medication to work its way through. The Twins should know by the end of the week how much the shot helped.

Speaking of shots, Gardenhire just had a third cortisone shot in his shoulder. Add shots for his elbow and knee, and that’s five shots this year for the manager. Cortisone is his friend.

Have calls out on Brad Penny and Rich Harden developments and will update when possible. I did hear that Penny wants a contract for 2010, so it will be interesting if the Twins or whoever claims him off relief waivers is willing to do that. Penny could reject the move, but I can’t see him turning his back on at least $1.2 million the rest of the season.

The White Sox could emerge as a suitor for Penny after Jake Peavy left his minor league start last night with a tight elbow.   They are ahead of the Twins, as of now, in the waiver claim department. And I can’t see how Chicago will want to give Jose Contreras the ball again.

Lineups

Rangers (72-56)

1. Julio Borbon, DH
2. Michael Young, 3B
3. Josh Hamilton, RF
4. Marlon Byrd, CF
5. Ian Kinsler, 2B
6. Hank Blalock, 1B
7. Nelson Cruz, LF
8. Ivan Rodriguez, C
9. Elvis Andrus, SS

Pitching: Kevin Milwood, RHP

Twins (64-65)

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, DH
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, LF
6. Michael Cuddyer, RF
7. Brendan Harris, 3B
8. Mike Redmond, C
9. Nick Punto, SS

Pitching: Scott Baker, RHP

New relievers Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay aren’t expected to join the team until Saturday, and indications are that the Twins will wait until then to move one of the young pitchers to make room for Mahay.

The Twins already made room for Rauch by outrighting Phil Humber to Class AAA Rochester.

No word on Joe Crede, but Brendan Harris is starting at third tonight. Details to come.

UPDATE: Joe Crede’s back is doing better. But he’s going to meet with docs during the game. If he needs a few more days, the Twins probably will DL him after the game and call someone else up.

Ron Mahay’s signing hasn’t been officially announced yet, so Ron Gardenhire wouldn’t comment on him. On Rauch, he said: “He’s bigger than me. He can have any role he wants.”

He was kidding, of course, Rauch likely will be in the seventh-inning mix

There’s a report out of Chicago that the Twins were the team to put in a claim on Rich Harden. No word if the teams are negotiating a deal or if the Cubs will just pull him off waivers. Being a Type A free agent, my guess is the Cubs would want two players for him to replace the compensation picks they’d lose.

And will Harden stay healthy? He’s never thrown more than 189.2 innings in a season. Since 2004, he’s failed to throw even 150. If the Twins really want him, it’s a risk.

Update:  Class AAA Rochester righthander Johan Pino is headed to Cleveland as the player to be named later for  Carl Pavano. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Pino already is penciled in to start on Tuesday for Class AAA Columbus.

Cleveland selected Pino from a list of four players.

Too bad for the Twins. Pino was pitching well for Class AAA Rochester. Pino was 2-2 with a 2.82 ERA in eight starts for the Red Wings.

Lineups

Rangers (71-55)

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Michael Young, 3B
3. Josh Hamilton, CF
4. Nelson Cruz, RF
5. Pudge, DH
6. David Murphy, LF
7. Taylor Teagarden, C
8. Chris Davis, 1B
9. Elvis Andrus, SS

Pitching: Tommy Hunter,RHP

Twins (63-64)

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, DH
6. Michael Cuddyer, RF
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. Brendan Harris, 3B
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B

Pitching: Brian Duensing, LHP

At the Dome watching Justin Morneau work on power hitting drills. He’s out on the field with hitting coach Joe Vavra, hitting a ball off a tee.

The key to the drill is to focus on the bottom half of the baseball. Hitting that part causes backspin. And backspin helps the ball carry farther. The Twins started using the drill about 7-8 years ago in the minor leagues. They began a power development program that Morneau and others went through. Doing this drill on a baseball field and not in a cage allows Morneau to see how the ball travels.

Morneau is driving balls all over the Dome. Few are clearing the fence or baggy, but that’s not the goal of the drill. At game speed, the balls will travel 400-plus feet.

After hitting was seems like 75-80 balls, Morneau is in the outfield picking up the balls he hit. How many former MVP’s do that?

I’m guessing you have seen the news regarding Johan Santana . Fortunately, it’s just a bone chip issue.

Buster Olney went off today about how health concerns about Santana forced the Red Sox and Yankees to back away from dealing for him during the 2007-2008 offseason. Santana does not have a physique like most so-called, `horses,’ and I know the Twins wondered if Santana would eventually break down. Santana left everything on the field. I talked to Santana two days after the end of the 2007 season as he cleaned out his locker. He bent over to pick something off the ground and groaned like a Rhino who had just been shot. He said his back, legs and arm were killing him.

It’s not surprising to hear that the beasts of the AL East felt that way. I also know that Boston was very reluctant to sign Santana to a deal like the one he got from the Mets. I also know that Boston would have been more interested in Santana if the Yankees hadn’t backed away. The whole trade landscape fell apart when the Yankees backed away during the winter meetings that year. The Mets became the only real option.

Will check back later with updates and lineups.

Update: Joe Crede had an MRI on his back today because it’s taking longer than normal for it to come around. He’s expected to consult with Twins docs during the game, so there should be an update after the game.

Francisco Liriano had an MRI on his elbow. According to Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, the elbow looked great. So the next step is to schedule a day for Liriano to play catch and start building up to a bullpen session.

Boof Bonser has been cleared to face hitters down in Florida. So now it’s a matter of him building up enough arm strength to go out on a minor league rehab assignment.

Speaking of minor leaguers, here are the ones headed to the Arizona Fall League: Righthanders Mike McCardell, Alex Burnett and Steven Hirschfeld, lefthander Spencer Steedley, outfielder/first baseman Chris Parmelee, infielder Steven Singleton and outfiedler Rene Tosoni.

Zach Parise and some of his hockey alums from Shattuckland took early batting practice and shagged fly balls.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was bummed out to hear that Johan Santana is out for the year with bone chip problems. “If you can’t root for Johan Santana you can’t root for anyone,” Gardenhire said. Someone else pointed out to me that Santana might not be out of the woods after surgery. Removing the chips allows for more range of motion but that range of motion could lead to ligament problems. Next spring should be real interesting in Metsland - when is it ever not interesting over there.

Lineups

O’s (51-74)

1. Brian Roberts, 2B
2. Felix Pie, CF
3. Nolan Reimold, DH
4. Nick Markakis, RF
5. Luke Scott, LF
6. Matt Wieters, C
7. Melvin Mora, 3B
8. Michael Aubrey, 1B
9. Cesar Izturis, SS

Pitching: Brian Matusz, LHP

Twins (62-63)

1. Denard Span, LF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Brendan Harris. 3B
7. Delmon Young, DH
8. Carlos Gomez, CF
9. Alexi Casilla. 2B

Pitching: Armando Gabino, RHP Â

Well, it was a good thing I was little late with the lineups. Joe Crede was in the original lineup but has just been scratched with a tight back. The man just can’t catch a break.

That means the Twins are down, again, to Nick Punto and Mike Redmond on the bench.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said this morning that righthander Boof Bonser, who was expected to miss the whole season due to shoulder surgery during spring training, is doing so well that he might return in September. That’s good news for the Twins, who will have a lot of options for the 2010 pitching staff.

Bonser has been working out regularly in Fort Myers, Fla.

I’d like to take this time to apologize to anyone who was sitting in the section below the press box here. Last night, the largest praying mantis I’ve ever seen landed on the ledge in front of Twins PR maven Dustin Morse. Morse and I were amazed by the size of the thing.

Someone else in the press box suggested that we shoo it away. I grabbed my cup of water and meant to splash a little water on it. I forget I double-stacked the cup (plus I used way too much force). The top cup, water and ice flew out of the window and tumbled over the ledge and onto the section below. Everyone was laughing. I felt terrible. I was waiting to hear a scream from below, but it never happened.

Sorry…

Anyway, Twins fans have arrived…with brooms.

Lineups

Twins (60-63)

1. Denard Span, RF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Jason Kubel, DH
5. Michael Cuddyer,  1B
6. Joe Crede Brendan Harris, 3B
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. Carlos Gomez, CF
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B

Pitching: Carl Pavano, RHP

Kansas City (47-75)

1. David DeJesus, LF
2. Brayan Pena, C
3. Billy Butler, 1B
4. Mike Jacobs, DH
5. Alberto Callaspo, 2B
6. Mark Teahen, 3B
7. Mitch Maier,CF
8. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
9. Josh Anderson, RF

Pitching: Brian Bannister, RHP

Joe Crede turned his left ankle while running to first base on Friday so the Twins are holding him out of tonight’s lineup. Crede told me he can play, but the Twins are taking it easy.

It still looked bad last night to see Crede walk out of the trainer’s room with ice on his shoulder, back AND ankle.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said this might be the first time Joe Nathan really is unavailable for a game. Nathan threw 53 pitches on Friday, the most in his Twins career. Gardy will go with matchups in the late innings - that sounds like Guerrier and Mijares…

Matt Moses is in the Twin Cities to have a middle finger examined. It doesn’t sound good for the former first round pick.

Lineups

Twins (59-63)

1 .Denard Span, RF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Jason Kubel, DH
5. Michael Cuddyer, 1B
6. Delmon Young, LF
7. Brendan Harris, 3B
8. Carlos Gomez, CF
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B

Pitching: Brian Duensing

Royals (47-74)

1. David DeJesus, LF
2. Brayan Pena, DH
3. Billy Butler, 1B
4. Miguel Olivo, C
5. Alberto Callaspo, 2B
6. Mark Teahen, 3B
7. Mitch Maier, CF
8. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
9. Josh Anderson, RF

Pitching: Kyle Davies, RHPÂ