Breslow seizes opportunity with new team

Craig Breslow appears to have found a home with the Twins after being placed on waivers by Cleveland.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: June 11, 2008 - 7:50 AM

CLEVELAND — Twins reliever Craig Breslow returned to Progressive Field on Tuesday with some surprising new job security after being waived by Cleveland less than three weeks earlier.

Since joining the Twins on May 29, Breslow has posted a 0.00 ERA in 5 2/3 innings.

"We really didn't want to go with 13 pitchers, but we always wanted another lefty [to go with Dennys Reyes]," Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said. "There's pressure on [Breslow] because he's coming to a new team and has to show them right away what he can do, but he's handled it well."

Breslow posted a 3.24 ERA in seven appearances with the Indians, but a roster crunch prompted them to cut him. The Twins have their own roster issues and plan to trim back to 12 pitchers by Friday, but Juan Rincon (6.11 ERA) is the more likely cut than Breslow.

"I don't necessarily feel the need to exact revenge [on Cleveland] or anything like that," Breslow said. "Baseball's a business, and I understand there's a numbers crunch, and I was the guy that had to go."

Roster decision

Brian Buscher is the leading candidate for a promotion from Class AAA Rochester before the Twins resume interleague play at Milwaukee on Friday.

The Twins need a middle infielder, so Howie Clark was their preference before he strained a rib cage muscle last weekend. Buscher, who like Clark was with the Twins earlier this season, had been limited to designated hitter duty because of a sore knee but returned to third base Tuesday.

"He would be probably the best option to come up as an infielder, even though he can't play the middle," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Two-catcher attack

Mike Redmond's career average against Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia was .522 (12-for-23), so Gardenhire used him as the designated hitter, leaving Joe Mauer at catcher.

That left the Twins without a catcher on the bench, though Gardenhire said Mike Lamb could go behind the plate in an emergency.

Redmond was batting .154 (4-for-26) on May 21 but has raised his average to .311 . He singled in his first at-bat Tuesday and finished 1-for-3 in the 1-0 loss to the Indians.

"He's a veteran and it looked like he'd slowed down a little bit, but also, we were playing Joe Mauer a lot," Gardenhire said. "Now that we're playing all these ballgames, he's getting more opportunities, and he's putting really good swings on it."

Matt Macri got his fourth consecutive start at third base Tuesday, but three of those starts have come against lefthanders.

Gardenhire said Lamb likely would start tonight against righthander Paul Byrd.

Stolen base slump

Carlos Gomez averaged one stolen base every other game through 32 games this season.

But he has only one stolen base in his past 28 games and has been caught stealing five consecutive times.

Too often, the Twins have seen Gomez get a poor jump but still go, an effort Gardenhire calls "trying to outrun the baseball."

Gomez has the green light to go whenever he wants.

"If I start having to tell him what pitch I want him to run on, that gets a little ugly for a guy with his athletic ability," Gardenhire said. "It's a learning process. He was safe a lot early, he's been out a lot lately, and maybe he'll get back into a run of being safe a lot."

Etc.

• Alexi Casilla came into Tuesday's game 8-for-9 in his career against Sabathia. The Twins second baseman reached on a bunt single in the first inning Tuesday but was retired his next three at-bats, including the final out of the game.

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