Team to keep eye on Santana to see if he needs time off

By La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune

Last update: April 7, 2007 - 10:54 PM

CHICAGO -- Twins lefthander Johan Santana finished last season with a sore hip and a throbbing back. Not much was made of it at the time, but the coaching staff was very careful with him down the stretch to make sure he wasn't overdoing it.

As a result it's no surprise that the coaching staff plans to check if Santana needs an extra day whenever the team has a day off -- or, as was the case on Friday, there is a postponement.

Santana was given the option of taking another day off and facing the Yankees on Monday, but Santana opted to pitch today against the White Sox -- six days after his Opening Day start.

"I think it's a good thing here," Santana said, "We communicate well and make sure we are on the same page."

The Twins checked with Santana after his Opening Day start to see if he wanted to pitch on Saturday or Sunday. Santana picked Sunday.

"I said I'd rather have a day off because I hadn't had a day off since spring training," Santana (1-0) said.

The hope is that Santana won't have to deal with the soreness he did down the stretch last season. He said he'll have to wait and see if this approach works.

"I feel good right now," Santana said. "We'll see."

Strained and stiff

Rondell White was scratched just before game time because of a strained right calf. White said he got hurt while trying to skip out of the dugout for warmups,

"My calf skipped, I guess," White said.

Reliever Juan Rincon has a stiff neck and was unavailable Saturday. Rincon said he thinks he slept on it wrong.

Both players are day-to-day, but it left manager Ron Gardenhire a little shorthanded on Saturday.

"We're a little thin, but we had our chances," Gardenhire said.

Jason Tyner replaced White in the lineup and was 0-for-3 with a strikeout and hit into a double play.

Thanks, Danks

John Danks will make his major league debut today against the Twins. Gardenhire was at the team hotel when he bumped into Danks' father, who also is named John.

The two former Texas Longhorns (John Danks was a four-year letterman on the basketball team), had a very casual conversation.

"He said, 'take it easy on us,' " Gardenhire said. "I said, 'He better take it easy on us.' "

More No. 42 news

White and Jerry White will join Torii Hunter in wearing Jackie Robinson's No. 42 next Sunday, when the league will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier.

"Jerry will look more like Jackie than anyone," Hunter said.

The league now is allowing multiple players from each team to wear the number.

Etc.

Jeff Cirillo, on the mend after taking a cortisone shot in his left knee last week, said he felt much better on Saturday and struck out while pinch hjtting in the seventh.

La Velle E. Neal III • lneal@startribune.com