It's classic Mauer at his best

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - Twins manager Ron Gardenhire asked first baseman Justin Morneau if it was his preference to serve as the designated hitter for Sunday's game on the artificial turf at Tropicana Field.

Gardenhire added that Mike Redmond would be the catcher and that Joe Mauer would fill the DH role if Morneau's legs were OK to start for the 148th time at first base.

"Put me at first," Morneau said. "Whatever it takes to get Joe in the lineup."

Morneau leads the American League with 128 RBI, and a large share of those have come because Mauer either moved another runner into scoring position, or was himself on base for Morneau.

Mauer has started 128 games at catcher, and Sunday's game was his fourth as DH. Consider this:

• He has reached base with a hit or walk in 42 of his past 43 starts. The game in which he didn't reach base -- Sept. 9 vs. the Royals -- he drove in two runs.

• He has reached base with a hit or walk in 123 of the 132 games he has started. The only back-to-back starts in which he did not reach base were April 11-12 against Kansas City.

Mauer dropped a soft liner into left with two outs in the first and hustled to second for a double. Morneau grounded out.

Mauer walked to lead off the fourth. Morneau hit a ball into the second-base hole, Willy Aybar tried for a force at second, but Mauer beat the throw and Morneau was safe on a fielder's choice.

The Twins turned this into a four-run rally that came without hitting a ball hard and included the Rays throwing the ball wildly to various corners of their ballpark.

Mauer scored the first run by making a quick read on Redmond's fly ball single and was safe under the catcher's tag.

Later, he hit a bullet into the right-center field gap and was going for three as he left home plate. Morneau flied out to leave him at third.

Have you seen Mauer this locked-in previously?

"Yeah, two years ago when he hit .350 [.347]," teammate Michael Cuddyer said. "The series we had that summer against the Dodgers ... what was he, 10-for-11?"

Mauer was 11-for-13 in those three games on his way to becoming the first catcher in American League history to win a batting title. He enters the season's final week with a chance to win a second as a catcher who doesn't turn 26 until next April.

Gardenhire talked about all Mauer had done at the plate and on the bases Sunday and then said:

"I actually have heard people criticize Joe Mauer. I've heard them say, 'You baby him,' or, 'You never get on him.'

"He's as good as there is behind the plate. He throws better than anyone. His instincts for playing the game are fantastic. You saw that again today on the bases. The only way you can score on that ball Red Dog [Redmond] hit is to read it right away."

Mauer was surprised when he came to his locker 40 minutes after Sunday's game to find a handful of reporters still waiting for him. He offered the routine responses about winning a game when there was no other choice -- about the chance to now play three games in the Metrodome against the first-place White Sox.

When the group broke up, Mauer was given the statistic of reaching base in 43 consecutive starts.

"Really?" he said. "Why did you have to tell me that? You shouldn't have told me."

No problem, Joe. We checked the boxscores again. We found that game a couple of weeks ago where all you had to contribute was two RBI.