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Home | Sports | Twins

Spring training ends with victory

Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press

Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey worked three innings against the Pirates on Saturday, giving up two runs on six hits.

Contenders or pretenders? The Twins will begin to find out Monday.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: March 29, 2008 - 11:29 PM

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TWINS 5, PITTSBURGH 4 • Grapefruit League final record: 15-15

TWINS' OPENING DAY — MONDAY

Game: Twins vs. Los Angeles Angels • 6:05 p.m. • FSN • 1500-AM

6-9 a.m.: Breakfast on the Metrodome Plaza.

Noon: Downtown rally at the IDS Crystal Court.

3 p.m.: Metrodome Plaza opens.

4:30 p.m.: Metrodome gates open.

Pregame: National anthem sung by the cast of "Jersey Boys"; ceremonial first pitch thrown out by I-35W bridge collapse hero Matthew Miller; player introductions; Torii Hunter video tribute.

6:05 p.m.: First pitch against the Angels.

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BRADENTON, FLA. — No more 6 a.m. wake-up calls, fighting traffic on Interstate 75 or looking at players wearing No. 91.

The Twins finished spring training with a 5-4 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday, then left for the Twin Cities to begin the season.

Delmon Young homered and Kevin Slowey, fighting the flu, battled through three innings as the Twins broke camp with a 15-15 record.

On Monday, the Twins will begin to find out if their interesting mix of players can contend in the AL Central.

Two of their new regulars, Young (fifth) and Carlos Gomez (leadoff) occupy prime spots in the batting order despite being young enough to be charged the under-25 rate for auto insurance.

New starting infielders Brendan Harris and Mike Lamb aren't defensive whizzes but are being asked to sharpen their glovework while providing offense the club sorely needs.

Their rotation is largely inexperienced -- but players insist they can win with them.

As Twins manager Ron Gardenhire prepared for the spring finale, he admitted that his club is still being shaped.

"Yeah, because of the new people,'' he said. "A lot of new people, and I knew that was going to be the case.

"Spring training did a lot, said a lot. I think there's a lot more understanding of what we are all about around here. I think guys understand that now. ... Every time you make a mistake, it ends up costing you.''

The coaching staff expects mistakes -- but won't settle for them.

The staff has worked with the talented Gomez to improve his approach at the plate and hit the cutoff man more frequently instead of trying to do too much with his rocket arm.

Gardenhire has worked with Harris on turning the double play and has encouraged Lamb to stop bouncing throws from third base.

Pitching coach Rick Anderson is stressing to his pitchers the importance of mixing pitches, even when in trouble.

Will this plan work?

"Hopefully there's a better understanding now than when we got here,'' Gardenhire said. "We'll continue that process as we go along here.''

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