Twins' Opening Day roster remains unchanged

For the 16th consecutive game this season, the Twins on Friday used the same 25-man roster that they've had since Opening Day. And while that may not seem like news, it's not exactly normal, either.

"I don't know when the last time we went this far into the year without a change," manager Paul Molitor said. "It's probably been a while."

He's right about that. The Twins haven't gone 20 days into the season without making a roster move in this century, at least, but through Friday they are one of two major league teams — the Diamondbacks are the other — to stay the course without a roster tweak.

Injuries usually force a transaction by now, but the Twins have been completely healthy since Opening Day. Slow starts sometimes necessitate a demotion, but the Twins are sticking with Byron Buxton while he tries to shake his slump.

"This is what we have, and this is what makes the most sense for us right now," Molitor said.

Still, change comes eventually, and Molitor has had discussions with his coaching staff and the front office about reconsidering one aspect of his roster: the 13-man pitching staff. With the Twins' stretch of 16 straight games without an off day coming to a close next Thursday, and with only one of their eight relief pitchers having pitched more than 10 innings so far, Molitor is considering exchanging a reliever for an added bench player.

"We talk about the eight [relief] pitchers a lot, compared to four bench players," he said. "That's our biggest discussion about changing things up."

Among friends

Torii Hunter visited both clubhouses before Friday's game, joking with his former teammates — he was a Twin in 2015 and a Tiger the two seasons previous to that — and collecting information.

"Gotta have stuff to talk about," Hunter said.

That's because Friday was the Twins Hall of Famer's broadcasting debut, filling in for Bert Blyleven on Fox Sports North's telecast. Hunter, like LaTroy Hawkins later this year, was added to a lineup with holdovers Jack Morris and Roy Smalley as analysts beside play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer.

Hunter has been preparing for a while, talking to other players-turned-broadcasters about making a smooth transition to the booth.

"Dick has given me advice, [MLB Network's] Harold Reynolds gave me advice, and [Fox Sports Detroit's] Rod Allen. Everybody has helped," Hunter said. "Once the game starts, I talk about what's going on in the game and I'll be fine then, that's totally different. But the pregame [show], you need a rhythm, and I'm trying to find that rhythm right now."

The notion of Hunter's enthusiasm being spread over the airwaves even intrigued some in the clubhouse. "How long is the delay?" Molitor joked about the need to bleep Hunter's language. "I talked to him, asked if he's nervous about it. He said he's excited about trying something a little bit new. … I'm interested in how it's going to go up there tonight. Some of the knowledge he has, the way he loves our game, I think it will be entertaining television."

Scouts afield

Two weeks after Derek Falvey scouted prep phenom Hunter Greene in Sherman Oaks, Calif., the Twins' chief baseball officer turned up in Louisville on Friday to watch Brendan McKay, a lefthanded pitcher and first baseman at the University of Louisville.

Greene and McKay are widely considered the top two prospects in the June 12 amateur draft, in which the Twins hold the first pick.

It wasn't McKay's finest performance. With Falvey in the stands, he allowed five runs in six innings, walking three and striking out seven, and took the loss in Duke's 5-3 win.