Twins ask Seattle about Beltre

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: July 14, 2008 - 7:37 AM

DETROIT - The Twins recently contacted Seattle to inquire about third baseman Adrian Beltre as they look for ways to boost their offense against lefthanded pitching, a club source said.

It's unclear how deep the discussions got, but the Twins decided to act on the internal discussions they had about the Mariners slugger.

Beltre, 29, is batting .259 with 16 homers and 46 RBI. He is regarded as an excellent defensive player, having won the Gold Glove at third last year, and could be rejuvenated by being in a pennant chase. He is being paid $12 million this season and again in 2009.

The Twins are 13-14 against lefthanded starters, with a slugging percentage of .380 and on base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) of .695. Their numbers against righthanded starters -- .422 slugging and .768 OPS -- are noticeably better.

Another finger problem

Righthander Kevin Slowey has an infection under near the back of the fingernail on his right middle finger, the latest finger problem to affect a Twins player. Slowey, as a precaution, has been moved to the back of the rotation when the Twins return from the All-Star break.

Lefthander Glen Perkins, working on six days' rest, will start Friday against Texas. He will be followed by righthanders Livan Hernandez, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn and Slowey.

Infielder Nick Punto missed Sunday's 4-2 loss to Detroit because of a sprained left ring finger. Michael Cuddyer, on the disabled list because of a strained tendon in his left index finger, will test his injury when the Twins return from the All-Star break. Alexi Casilla still has a sore finger on his left hand.

My bad

Justin Morneau clearly had his foot on the bag in the second inning as he reached for an off-line throw from Twins third baseman Brian Buscher on a grounder by Marcus Thames. First-base umpire Jim Wolf, however, made one of the worst calls of the year when he called Thames safe, because the throw pulled Morneau off the bag. Buscher was charged with a throwing error he didn't deserve.

Morneau couldn't believe the call. Gardenhire rushed out to protest. Wolf checked with the other umpires, but no one else could tell for sure.

"He couldn't change his call," Gardenhire said. "He told me, 'I made a mistake. I just have to live with it.' How are you going to argue with that? All you ever ask from an umpire is to be honest and he said he made a mistake. We all make mistakes."

Clete Thomas followed with a home run, to make matters worse.

"[Wolf] didn't throw the next pitch over the fence," Gardenhire said. "I do know that."

Etc.

• The Twins will work out at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Metrodome in advance of Friday's three-game series opener against Texas. The Twins' three All-Stars -- Morneau, Joe Mauer and Joe Nathan -- will be excused from the workout.

• Jake Mauer, manager of the Twins' Gulf Coast League rookie team, has been excused from his duties to join his brother in New York for the All-Star Game.

• Class A Fort Myers righthander Cole DeVries has been named Twins minor league player of the week. DeVries, a former Gophers pitcher from Eden Prairie, tossed a four-hit shutout on Wednesday.

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