After a steady afternoon rain, the weather has cleared up enough downtown to allow the Twins and Brewers to open their brief two-game series on schedule tonight. Mitch Garver won't be here to see it, though.

The Twins' catcher, sidelined since suffering a high ankle sprain on May 14, has recovered enough to play again. So the Twins gave him a flight reservation for tonight, sending him to Class AA Pensacola to begin what he hopes is a short rehab assignment.

Garver will work out with the Blue Wahoos on Tuesday, including his first session of baserunning on his left ankle, then catch five innings on Wednesday and perhaps a full game on Friday. After that, the Twins can evaluate Garver's condition daily, but if he's ready by the weekend, it's only a short flight to Tampa, where the Twins will be playing until Sunday.

Garver, 28, clearly hopes to join the team in Florida. "I have caught a bullpen while I was here. I passed every agility test they've wanted me to pass," Garver said. "As far as I'm concerned, the training staff is concerned, my ankle is healthy and we're ready to go."

If he makes it to Tropicana Field, Garver will have spent less than three weeks on the injured list, a remarkable recovery from an injury that frequently sidelines athletes for 4-6 weeks. "I know a lot of people might have been sidelined for longer, but I take a lot of pride in taking care of my body," Garver said. "The preparation I put into the offseason making sure I'm both flexible and strong in all of my joints, that's a real attribute to how much work I put in."

Meanwhile, Garver will miss a blustery, wet night at Target Field, and it will be interesting to see how it affects the surge in attendance that has accompanied the Twins' hot streak. Minnesota has won 11 of its past 12 games, but went 1-5 against the NL Central-winning Brewers last season. With lefthander Gio Gonzalez on the mound (against the Twins' Michael Pineda), the Twins will use their modified lineup tonight, and Luis Arraez gets the start at DH.

Here are the lineups for tonight's opener with Milwaukee:

BREWERS

Cain CF

Yelich RF

Braun DH

Moustakas 3B

Grandal C

Gamel LF

Hiura 2B

Thames 1B

Arcia SS

Gonzalez LHP

TWINS

Polanco SS

School 2B

Cron 1B

Rosario LF

Sano 3B

Kepler RF

Astudillo C

Arraez DH

Buxton CF

Pineda RHP