Gardy says Lamb's still in the mix

Twins third baseman Mike Lamb has struggled against lefties, but lately he hasn't started against righties, either.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: June 15, 2008 - 8:07 AM

MILWAUKEE — Twins third baseman Mike Lamb is batting .077 against lefthanded pitchers, so it was no surprise when manager Ron Gardenhire began sitting him against lefties.

But Saturday, Lamb found himself on the bench with the Twins facing Milwaukee righthander Jeff Suppan.

Brian Buscher, a lefthanded hitter fresh up from Class AAA Rochester, got the start at third base, and went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. He hit the go-ahead two-run single in the 12th inning of the Twins' 9-4 victory over the Brewers.

"I'm just going to try to find offense," Gardenhire said. "If Buscher goes out there and starts cracking the ball, Buscher will play.

"But I'm not just going to say Lamb's out. No. We signed him to be our third baseman, and we're still giving him that shot to be our third baseman, but we're going to mix them up.

"He's hit some balls pretty hard on this road trip and had nothing to show for it, but it hasn't been great, and we all know that."

Lamb snapped an 0-for-23 skid Friday, but struck out in a pinch-hit appearance Saturday, dropping his average to .224.

Of course, it didn't help when he was robbed of three hits this week in Cleveland, including a ball Franklin Gutierrez caught high against the right-field wall.

"It's such a weird game," Lamb said. "If I get a couple of those hits, it turns around your whole deal. Your confidence gets a little boost, and you feel better about yourself. And, at the same time, when guys are catching balls like that, it's like it can't get any worse."

Cuddyer's cameo

Michael Cuddyer was not in the starting lineup after getting hit with a pitch on one of his right knuckles Friday night and there was some question if he'd be able to play in today's series finale.

He didn't take batting practice on the field, but Gardenhire sent him up as a pinch hitter for pitcher Brian Bass in the 12th.

Cuddyer hit a two-run triple to the top of the center-field wall and came around to score when Mike Cameron's throw bounced past the cutoff man.

"If I had known he could swing like that, I might have used him in the eighth, ninth or 10th," Gardenhire said.

Replay approval

If baseball decides to begin using instant replay Aug. 1 for disputed home runs and other boundary calls, the Twins seem to approve.

"I think most guys are for it," said Cuddyer, the team's player representative.

"If it's going to help the game out, that's fine," Gardenhire said. " ... I would hope that before they put it into play, they're positive it's going to work."

Slowey's keepsakes

How rare were Kevin Slowey's pitching and hitting feats Friday?

The last time a Twins pitcher won a game while contributing multiple hits and multiple RBI was April 11, 1971, when Jim Kaat pitched a complete-game shutout against the White Sox, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The clubhouse staff gave Slowey two clear boxes for his souvenir baseballs, one from his first hit, and one from his first (two) RBI.

"It'll be neat to look back at some point, I'm sure," Slowey said. "But for now, I'll probably just send [the baseballs] to my dad. He'll take care of them."