Two MDs agree: Surgery needed for Tolbert

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: May 21, 2008 - 6:25 PM

Twins infielder Matt Tolbert hoped hand specialist Tom Varecka would have a different opinion about his left thumb than the doctor in Denver who immediately said he needed surgery.

"I gave him the disc and he opened it up and was in there for like a minute," Tolbert said of Tuesday's exam. "He came out and said the same thing."

Tolbert will have surgery around 8:45 a.m. Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his thumb and could miss up to two months. So much for being optimistic.

"I'm ready to get it done," he said.

The ligament separated from the bone when Tolbert dived into first base Thursday while trying to beat out a grounder. He'll need around five weeks to recover before he can resume baseball-related activities, but the timetable could change.

"Once they have the surgery we'll know how bad it is," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It's going to be awhile. We kind of thought that."

Tolbert will do what he can to keep his legs in shape and try to pick up some nuances about the game from the bench.

He'll have something else on his mind during his recovery, too.

"I'm never going to slide into first," he said. "No more."

Liriano keeps building

Lefthander Francisco Liriano had another encouraging performance Tuesday during Class AAA Rochester's 3-2 loss to Syracuse.

Liriano gave up two runs and eight hits over seven innings, with a walk and three strikeouts. After some rough outings right after he was demoted, Liriano has his ERA down to 3.93. The Twins still are expected to leave Liriano in the minors so he can continue to gain confidence during his comeback from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery.

Liriano threw 91 pitches, 62 for strikes.

Rule 8.06c

Gardenhire nearly broke this rule on Monday when he tried to remove reliever Juan Rincon with a 2-0 count on Ramon Vazquez in the 10th inning.

Pitching coach Rick Anderson had gone to the mound before the at-bat began. According to rule 8.06c, a manager or coach isn't allowed to visit a pitcher twice in the same at-bat. Gardenhire was headed to the mound when he was alerted by what looked like the entire umpiring crew that he couldn't. If he had crossed the foul line, he would have been ejected from the game and Rincon would have been removed from the game after he was finished with Vazquez.

"I screwed up," said Gardenhire, who admitted he was flustered by Rincon's struggles on the mound at the time. "I lost my head."

Gardenhire said he has spoken to Rincon about the situation, but the bigger issue is getting Rincon straightened out. Rincon walked Vazquez to load the bases in that inning and has walked two batters in each of this past three outings.

"It comes in spurts," Gardenhire said. "He just need to get a little more consistency. [Monday] he was just misfiring it. He'll be back out there. He'll get plenty more chances."

Etc.

• Twins infielder Nick Punto, on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left hamstring, will fly to Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday to continue his rehab. He will return to the Twin Cities on May 30 because his wife, Natalie, is expecting their first child.

• Righthander Scott Baker, still working through a mild right groin strain, is scheduled to have a bullpen session today in Fort Myers, Fla.

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