MILWAUKEE — Gene Glynn sat with Tommy Milone at his locker for about 20 minutes today, going over a series of signs — bunt, take, tag up, etc. — that might come up during tonight's game. It's the Twins' first game at a National League ballpark, the first of 10 this season and five in a row, meaning it's the first time Twins pitchers must hit.
Milone holds a distinction that only Ricky Nolasco, among Twins pitchers, shares: He has hit a home run. It came in his first major-league game — first major-league pitch, actually — back on Sept. 3, 2011, while he was with the Nationals. "It was my first at-bat, and I knew every pitcher tries to get ahead in the count," Milone said of that at-bat against then-Mets righthander Dillon Gee. "So I expected a fastball, and I swung."
If he could repeat that feat tonight, Milone would make history: No Twins pitcher has homered since the designated hitter rule was adopted in 1973. The last Twins' pitcher to homer was Jim Kaat, back on June 11, 1972.
Phil Hughes hit a few pitches into the second level of seats at Miller Park during batting practice today, and he is generally considered the best hitter on the Twins' staff. But he has never gotten a hit in the major leagues: 0-for-15 with a couple of sacrifice bunts.
"Yeah, I've got some BP pop," Hughes deadpanned. "But in BP, I'm really just trying to go deep the whole time. And in a game, it's just about not looking foolish, and getting a bunt down if you're asked to."
Putting Milone in the lineup today means Byung Ho Park, who has hit three homers in his last four games, must sit out. He'll be prepared for pinch-hitting duty today, with hopes of getting to play first base sometime in the next few days.
After this weekend in Washington, the Twins don't have another non-DH game until mid-August in September.
Here are the lineups for tonight's third game of this four-game series:
