New chapter, old faces for Twins in Grapefruit League opener

FORT MYERS, FLA. — Justin Morneau said he's never been a big fan of the regimented infield practice the Twins stage before every exhibition game, but the former MVP had his first baseman's mitt ready 20 minutes early Saturday.

The sun was shining through the clouds above Hammond Stadium, and it was 83 degrees as the Twins took the field, wearing their home whites.

The team hoped it was starting a new chapter with some old faces back in the lineup. Morneau, Joe Mauer and Denard Span each had at least one hit, as they defeated the Rays 7-3 in their exhibition opener.

"Joe [Mauer] looked at me and said, 'Man, we've got a pretty good lineup when you put everybody out there,'" Morneau said.

It was a sight too seldom seen last year, as the Twins stumbled and bumbled to a 63-99 finish. Span, Mauer and Morneau -- the team's No 1, 3 and 4 hitters, respectively -- each missed at least 80 games.

Those three were back together again, along with the new faces in the starting lineup: shortstop Jamey Carroll, right fielder Josh Willingham and designated hitter Ryan Doumit.

It wasn't a perfect day. The stands were not full. The Twins sold out all 16 home games last spring, averaging a franchise-record 8,091 fans per game, but the announced attendance this time was 6,683.

In the first inning, Twins righthander Carl Pavano served up a two-run homer to Matt Joyce. Later that inning, in Carroll's first at-bat, he got beaned with a fastball from Rays lefthander David Price, and a hush came over the crowd.

Carroll stayed in the game, later explaining that he had turned his head just enough, allowing the ball to glance off his left ear flap. Next came Mauer and Morneau, and each took a called third strike to end the inning.

But that was the last the Twins had to see of Price. By the third inning, the Rays inserted a pitcher wearing No. 73 -- Jhonny Nunez, whose only big-league stint came in 2009 -- and Mauer lined an RBI single up the middle.

Mauer left the game after catching four innings. Morneau could have departed after two at-bats, too, but he lobbied manager Ron Gardenhire for one more after popping to shortstop against Nunez.

"I wasn't too pleased with it, so I kind of wanted a third one," said Morneau, whose previous two seasons have ended because of concussions. "I tell myself, sitting there, 'Is this smart?' But I'm not playing [Sunday]. ... I'm playing Monday night, so it doesn't hurt to take that extra at-bat."

The Rays still led 2-1 when Morneau came up to face hard-throwing relief prospect Alex Colome in the fifth. The Rays used a variety of defensive shifts throughout the game, and this time Morneau made them pay. With two strikes, he grounded a ball through the vacant shortstop hole for a game-tying RBI single.

Gardenhire inserted Chris Parmelee as a pinch-runner, and Morneau returned to a throng of high-fives in the dugout. Span, who had two awkward catches in center field on a windy day, also left for a pinch runner in the fifth inning and finished 2-for-3.

Asked how good it was to see those hits from the guys returning from injuries, Gardenhire said: "Yeah, that's fine. I'd rather have them [April 6, in the regular-season opener at Baltimore]. But like you and like everybody else, it's nice to see them out on the baseball field, playing and feeling good, absolutely."