Morneau plays despite sore calf

By La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune

Last update: July 3, 2007 - 11:08 PM

NEW YORK - All Yankees concerns after Monday's game were focused on third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who injured his left hamstring in the sixth inning during a slight collision with Twins first baseman Justin Morneau.

Turns out it was a true collision of former MVPs.

Morneau took a knee in his right calf, which tightened up after the game.

"It's really sore," Morneau said a couple hours before game time Tuesday.

Morneau wasn't cleared to start until after he got loose and went through pregame workouts.

"His frog in his leg?" Twins manager Ron Gardenhire replied when asked about Morneau. "He told me he would get it loose and see what he could do."

Morneau gave himself the green light after batting practice. He doubled and singled in his first two at-bats.

Rodriguez also started Tuesday.

White update

Outfielder Rondell White, on a rehabilitation assignment after recovering from a torn right calf muscle, left a game Tuesday after one inning when he felt discomfort in the same area.

White was sliding into second base while playing for Class A Fort Myers when he felt some pain.

"He felt a little bite in there," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said. "He was trying to break up a double play."

Ryan said White was removed from the game as a precautionary measure. Fort Myers is off today and Ryan expects White to play Thursday.

White was expected to join the Twins after the All-Star break. It's unclear if this latest development is a big setback. But White, who has missed all but three games, has yet to play nine innings in the outfield.

White has been getting updates from Twins outfielder Torii Hunter during his rehabilitation. After being frustrated for several weeks, Hunter said White sounded excited when they last talked Monday.

"He told me, 'I'm bringing a big stick with me when I come back,' " Hunter said.

Neshek's All-Star bid

Twins reliever Pat Neshek remains in third place after two full days of voting for the final spot on the AL All-Star roster.

Boston's Hideki Okajima has taken over first place in the balloting from Detroit's Jeremy Bonderman. The league doesn't release voting totals, so it's not known how far back Neshek is. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Thursday at www.mlb.com.

Garza's 2007 debut

Righthander Matt Garza made his 2007 debut on Tuesday with two scoreless innings. Garza, according to the YES Network radar gun, threw nine fastballs of at least 95 miles an hour, topping out at 97.

"His velocity was good," Gardenhire said. "He threw a couple of nice breaking balls. A couple that bounced. But he was winging it. He was letting it fly."

Garza will start one of the two games Friday against the White Sox. Righthander Scott Baker will get to pick between the day game and the night game.

Etc.

• Morneau said fellow Canadian and former All-Star Larry Walker is unable to be his batting practice pitcher for the Home Run Derby on July 9 in San Francisco. "I've got to figure out what I'm going to do," Morneau said. "Oh yeah, I have options."

• Class AAA Rochester righthander Nick Blackburn saw his scoreless streak end at 44 innings Tuesday against Buffalo.

• Rochester infielder Matt Tolbert will replace Garza as the Twins' representative in the All-Star Futures Game, to be played Sunday in San Francisco.

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