FORT MYERS, Fla. — Opening Day is two weeks from today.
Just wanted to throw that out there, to remind us all that spring camp really does end at some point. The Twins still have a lot to accomplish over the next couple of weeks, from finalizing a bullpen to deciding whether to keep Byron Buxton in the majors to figuring out who's on the bench. But they'll be in Baltimore in just 14 days, playing a game that counts.
The effort to get Buxton at-bats has begun in earnest, with the rookie center fielder in the lineup today even though he's not playing the field. Under normal circumstances, today might be a day off, since he'll probably make the long bus ride to Clearwater tomorrow, but after missing a week due to illness, manager Paul Molitor wants him to get to the plate as often as possible. He's leading off today, with the Pirates coming to Hammond Stadium for a 1 p.m. game.
With Buxton serving as designated hitter, the outfield has an unusual alignment of Oswaldo Arcia, Danny Santana and Ryan Sweeney. Carlos Quentin gets his first start at first base.
With the weekend rains having blown through, temperatures have dropped into the 50s in southern Florida, though it should warm up as the week goes on. It's definitely sweatshirt weather, and a blustery wind is blowing in from left field, good news for starter Kyle Gibson.
Here are the lineups for this afternoon's game:
PIRATES
Jaso 1B
Figueroa 2B
Freese 3B
Marte CF
Goebbert LF
Rodriguez SS
Ortiz RF
Stewart C
Nicasio RHP
TWINS
Buxton DH
Santana CF
Dozier 2B
Quentin 1B
Arcia LF
Sweeney RF
Escobar SS
Suzuki C
Nunez 3B
Gibson RHP