Gomez, Casilla stay steps ahead

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: May 22, 2008 - 11:17 PM

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Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla lifted the Twins on a big comeback Thursday, showing some flashy new dance moves in the process.

Batting leadoff, Gomez went 4-for-5 with a home run and a two-run single. He also was hit by a pitch and scored two runs.

Batting ninth, Casilla went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and three runs scored.

The Twins fell behind Texas 4-0 in the first inning but tied the score 7-7 in the eighth, when Justin Morneau hit a two-run single, scoring Casilla and Gomez.

When Gomez connected for his fourth home run in the fifth inning, off Rangers starter Vicente Padilla, Casilla met him in the dugout for a celebratory handshake shimmy.

"That's what you have to do to make all the players have good energy," Gomez said. "Everybody sees the moves, everybody wants to dance, everybody wants to go out and do good things, you know."

The Twins lost 8-7 when Josh Hamilton hit a two-out home run off reliever Brian Bass in the 10th, but the two young Dominican Republic natives continued to impress.

While Gomez, 22, continued his season-long impressive play in center field, adding another diving catch on a ball hit by Milton Bradley, Casilla, 23, continued a good week at second base.

"He's better now than he was before," manager Ron Gardenhire said of Casilla. "You can see it in his at-bats. He's more under control, using his feet when he's fielding the ball. He's working, too."

Texas two-step

After digging that first-inning hole, Twins starter Livan Hernandez held the Rangers scoreless over the next four innings before giving up a two-run double to Chris Shelton in the sixth.

Hernandez came away with no decision, leaving him at 6-2 with a 4.22 ERA.

Take away his two starts against Texas -- including the seven-run, 2 2/3-inning outing April 27 -- and Hernandez would be 4-1 with a 3.03 ERA.

"I gotta figure out what it is because I think I'm going to face them one more time," Hernandez said, looking ahead to the Rangers' next trip to Minnesota, July 18-20.

Punto heads to Florida

Before leaving for Fort Myers, Fla., to continue his rehab from a strained left hamstring, Nick Punto tested himself with a treadmill workout.

"Better, definitely better," Gardenhire said. "He was running at 10-plus. If you've done the treadmill, that's pretty quick. I run about 6.2 or 6.3 and that's flying for me."

Missed chances

Batting fifth and sixth, Delmon Young and Craig Monroe combined to go 0-for-9 with four strikeouts.

Young grounded into a big double play after the Twins loaded the bases with one out in the first inning.

But after Morneau tied the score in the eighth inning, Young caught a bad break, when he hit a liner that Rangers shortstop Michael Young caught before doubling up Michael Cuddyer at second base.

"That would have been nice, come up with a big hit to win that ballgame," Gardenhire said, "because we battled back pretty good."