Twins' Pat Neshek continues to regain his form

Even though the Twins lost 6-3 to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, one bright spot was Pat Neshek. He pitched two innings of hitless relief -- throwing 36 pitches, 25 for strikes -- striking out two and walking one.

Neshek, who missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery, was 0-0 with a 6.30 ERA in 10 innings in spring training. He allowed seven earned runs, nine hits, five walks and had 12 strikeouts in 10 appearances.

"I had a great spring. I had one bad outing," he said. "Other than that, I had more strikeouts than innings and I only gave up a couple of hits, so I had a really good spring, I thought."

However, there was still some question about his making the 25-man roster when the Twins broke camp. But since making the team, he's pitched a total of 3 2/3 innings in four appearances, with a 0.00 ERA, three strikeouts and one walk.

In Wednesday's second game of the Red Sox series, the 29-year-old sidearmer looked like the pitcher he was before he had elbow problems. In 2007, Neshek made 74 appearances and posted a 7-2 record and 2.94 ERA in 70 1/3 innings.

"The mound was a little tough to deal with [in the rain], but everything felt good," Neshek said. "[It helped] I had a lot of days off to rest."

How close is he to being 100 percent healthy?

"It's pretty close," Neshek said. "I don't have any pain in there at all, so the slider is moving along and I threw it all [Wednesday].

"The difference between my slider and fastball is good. You know that's what hitters are keying off of, so you just keep that timing down and keep the ball low and I think everything will be good."

Neshek, a graduate of Park Center High School, said it took 15 to 16 months for his elbow to come around, and it was late in spring training when he really started feeling good. "It took a while," he said.

Was he nervous Wednesday, making his first home appearance since his surgery and coming in for the sixth and seventh innings of a one-run game?

"Not really," he said. "I mean, you always get the anxiousness to go in and stuff like that, but when you get out there, no. It felt great. I feel good."

No doubt if Neshek can return to his 2007 form and if new closer Jon Rauch, who has five saves in as many opportunities, can continue to perform well, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is going to be in good shape with his bullpen.

Late playoffs a concern Major League Baseball has endured some poor conditions for playoff games in recent years, especially as the postseason stretches late into the fall and the weather gets harsh for teams in northern cities, such as the Twins.

"I don't like the playoffs going into early November," Commissioner Bud Selig said Monday. "We have shortened [the postseason] by a day or two next year. We are going to work with that. So far we have been very lucky, and hopefully that will continue. The commissioner has a lot of power, but when it comes to weather, not much. This is going to work out beautifully. I'm really not concerned in the end. They will do very well."

Asked about the state of his sport right now, Selig said: "[It's] the best that it has ever been, the most popular it has ever been. Healthier. Gross revenue is at a stunning all-time high. Attendance is at an all-time high. In every way, this sport is more popular than it has ever been. This is the golden era of baseball, no doubt about it."

Selig also announced that the Twin Cities will be the site of a major league owners meeting in August.

Ortiz off to slow start Former Twin David Ortiz, who became a superstar as a designated hitter for the Red Sox, is hitting only .154 after going 1-for-4 Wednesday. He also got off to a slow start last year but finished strong with 28 homers and 99 RBI. Going into Wednesday's game, Ortiz has averaged .287 with 259 homers and 832 RBI in eight seasons with Boston.

Ortiz signed with the Red Sox as a free agent in 2003. He is signed through this year, with Boston having a option on him for 2011. He spent his first six years in the majors with the Twins.

"It was like a family thing when I was here, and [sometimes] I was hurt," Ortiz said. "I was expecting to live in the [Twin Cities] forever, but you know, that's how the game goes.

"It was different. Here we were, a whole bunch of young kids. [In] Boston there was a lot of superstars, a lot of veterans. All I did when I got there was just look around and learn how everything worked to play the game. It was good."

Ortiz said he was impressed by Target Field and the Twins.

"It's very nice, very nice. It's unbelievable," Ortiz said. "But like I say, [Target Field] opened at the right time. They have a great team, a lot of young kids, a lot of talent: [Joe] Mauer, [Justin] Morneau, [Michael] Cuddyer, [Denard] Span, [Francisco] Liriano, they have a lot of talent, and I think it's a great time. It's the right time to open a new stadium."

Jottings Bud Grant was honored as a nine-time letterman in three sports at the University of Minnesota and for the contributions he made to the school when he was presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award by the university on Monday. University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks said there are more than 500,000 graduates of the school, but only 1,300 have received this award.

Span is hitting in bad luck, with only a .156 batting average for the Twins after going 0-for-1 with four walks Wednesday. "Resultswise, I am not getting hits," Span said. "But I am able to go up there and see the ball fine. I'm having good at-bats, but the results aren't there."

Wild coach Todd Richards will join USA Hockey's staff for the first time as an assistant coach of the 2010 U.S. men's national team. Wild assistant equipment manager Brent Proulx also will be a part of the team's staff. Team USA will open the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Men's Championship against host Germany on May 7.

Former Twins righthander Boof Bonser, who was traded to the Red Sox after the 2009 season, didn't do well in his first start for Class AAA Pawtucket. He gave up six hits and three runs in 4 1/3 innings against Twins affiliate Rochester.

Outfielder J.D. Drew, now with the Red Sox for the past four seasons, started his pro career with the St. Paul Saints in 1997 when he and his agent, Scott Boras, couldn't come to an agreement with Philadelphia, who drafted him as the second overall pick that year.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. • shartman@startribune.com