Twins Postgame: Sifting through the debris of a 10-2 loss

FORT MYERS, FLA. -- Brutal, brutal, brutal.

That sums up Monday night’s 10-2 loss to the Red Sox for the Twins, much like they felt after Sunday’s 8-3 split-squad loss to Boston.

Here were Monday’s key developments:

* In his first game since he broke his leg for Arizona last Aug. 14, Twins starter Jason Marquis didn’t make it through the second inning. He gave up four earned runs on three hits. He walked three and bounced three wild pitches. Marquis said it definitely felt like it’d been a while since he experienced the adrenaline rush of competition, and it messed with his mechanics, leading him to “spike” a few pitches, as he said. The 12-year veteran knows he has five or six more starts to find a rhythm this spring.

"He’s a veteran, a 200-inning-a-year guy," Manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He’s been doing it for quite a while for a lot of teams. He knows how to pitch, and it’s all about finding his arm slot.

* David Ortiz hit a home run off Twins reliever Jeff Manship and doubled off the wall against Liam Hendriks.

* Carlos Gutierrez, who had a poor performance in Thursday’s B-game against the Red Sox, bounced back with a 1-2-3 sixth inning Monday, getting two strikeouts and a pop out.

* Brendan Wise, who tossed a scoreless inning in that B-game, followed it up with a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Asked to name the positives he saw on a grim night, Gardenhire mentioned how well Wise pitched again and how he makes it look "free and easy."

* The Red Sox added five runs in the seventh inning off Deolis Guerra, the last remnant of the Johan Santana trade.

* Ryan Doumit got the start in left field and butchered the first ball hit to him for an error. Darnell McDonald doubled down the line, and the ball bounced past Doumit, allowing McDonald to reach third. Doumit, who is best suited for the DH role, is expected to start at catcher on Tuesday, when the Twins play the Rays.

* The slow pace by Marquis had the Twins defense on its heels. In the interminable second inning, Justin Morneau was holding a runner at first base when Ryan Sweeney hit a hot shot down the line. Morneau stabbed the ball, impressively, getting the out at first, but trying for the double play, he bounced his throw past shortstop Brian Dozier for an error.

* Dozier appeared to beat out a bases-loaded, two-out grounder in the fourth inning, but the umpire, probably tired of the game’s pace, called him out.

* Offensive highlights: Denard Span reached base twice in three plate appearances with a walk and a single. ... Joe Mauer went 2-for-3. He hit the ball hard, grounding into a 4-6-3 double play in his first at-bat. Then he lined a single to LF and pulled an RBI single to RF. ... Josh Willingham reached base in all three plate appearances, with an HP, a single, and a walk.

Stay hungry, baseball fans

If you're heading to spring training, be sure to check out La Velle's annual Fort Myers Food Guide.