Gomez learns between rare starts

While Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young have received the majority of the playing time in the outfield, Carlos Gomez has had only 55 at-bats and has been used as a late-inning defensive replacement in several games.

Is that the best way for the 23-year-old to develop? Would Gomez be better served playing every day in the minors?

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he believes Gomez is in the right spot.

While answering a caller's question on his weekly radio show on KSTP, Gardenhire said there have been discussions about where Gomez should play. He said Gomez should be with the major league team so he can work on his game while waiting for opportunities to play.

While meeting with reporters before Sunday's game, Gardenhire said he hoped Gomez continued to spend time with hitting coach Joe Vavra to refine his hitting approach.

"I think this is an opportunity for him to get with Vavra a lot, work on his swing in the cage and do the cage stuff and work on his swing plane and [hitting] breaking balls," Gardenhire said. "It's not like he's playing every day, but it's also an opportunity for him to keep working and he can be a big asset for us off the bench."

Span has thrived in the leadoff spot and has started in center or left field. Young isn't driving the ball but entered Sunday with a .385 batting average this month.

Gomez, batting .218, started in center Sunday. He reached on a bunt single in the second inning and made a terrific falling catch of Endy Chavez's drive in the ninth.

"It's a situation that wasn't easy coming out of spring training." Gardenhire said. "I knew it was going to be like this. It's not easy now because, like I said all along, I'd like to play him every day. I'd like to play them all every day. It just can't happen."

Twins righthander Nick Blackburn came in hard twice on Seattle's Adrian Beltre in the second inning before striking him out with a pitch down and away.

It's pitching like that, the Twins believe, that will help Blackburn turn the corner. Blackburn, after giving up nine runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings Tuesday in Detroit, worked in and out effectively while pitching seven shutout innings Sunday, lowering his ERA from 5.19 to 4.32.

"It's big just for confidence," Blackburn said. "Just to get back out there and get some guys out and put up some zeros. It just goes to show that baseball is a weird game, and that you never know when you are going to have a rough outing."

Blackburn gave up two hits to open the fourth inning but pitched out of it, stranding a runner at third. He gave up two hits during the rest of his seven-inning outing.

On Saturday, FSN analyst Bert Blyleven ate two worms during a broadcast in an effort to raise funds to benefit the fight against Parkinson's disease.

On Sunday, he stopped by Gardenhire's office to make sure the manager felt better after leaving the bench during Saturday's game when he felt ill.

Blyleven: "How ya' doin'?"

Gardenhire: "As long as I don't watch your video, I'm doing good."

Blyleven: "I had birds follow me all the way to the ballpark today."

Gardenhire, by the way, felt much better Sunday and was in the dugout for all nine innings.

• Nick Punto got a Dome double in the fourth when his fly ball fell between Wladimir Balentien and Chavez. It allowed Punto to end an 0-for-17 streak. He entered Sunday 1-for-20 against lefthanded pitchers.

• When Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau hit back-to-back homers in back-to-back games, it was the first time Twins players had done that since 1987, when Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek did it on June 20 and Puckett and Gaetti did it on June 21.

• Ken Griffey Jr. has seven homers on Mother's Day, second most in history, trailing only Frank Robinson (nine).