Bill Evers takes charge of Twins in father-to-be Rocco Baldelli's absence

CLEVELAND — Twins manager Rocco Baldelli remained back in Minnesota on Monday while coach Bill Evers remained in charge in Cleveland — and a hanging hypothetical remained, too:

Who'd pay the fine if Evers gets ejected from a game while Baldelli is away for the birth of his and wife Allie's first child?

"Yeah, that's a good question," said Baldelli, who left Sunday's 6-5 ninth-inning victory at Tampa Bay in the eighth inning to catch a flight home. "I'll be on the hook for that, I guess. Well worth it."

The grandfatherly Evers is 67 and a career minor league manager and major league coach who is retiring at season's end. Before he goes, he will manage in the big leagues one last time for however long Baldelli is away.

He won two games with Tampa Bay when he substituted for Rays manager Joe Maddon in 2007 and won a game in Anaheim in May while Baldelli served a one-game suspension.

"Wouldn't that be something, huh?" Evers said. "You think I'd make ESPN if I got thrown out?"

Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson was asked about the chances both could occur.

A changed man

Twins starter Michael Pineda returned to action Monday after three weeks on the injured list with a mild oblique strain, coming on in relief throwing three shutout innings after starter Bailey Ober went four innings.

At 6-7, he's a big presence on the mound. Now in his 10th big-league season, he's a big one, too, in the clubhouse. Johnson asked the former Yankee to watch young pitchers Ober and Griffin Jax's bullpen sessions recently to offer observations and advice.

"As we all know, Mike came up throwing 100 [mph]," Johnson said. "He wasn't an elite command guy like he is now. It's always good to have a guy like that with experience who has had some success, who came up throwing really hard, developed a changeup and turned himself into a really good command guy.

"Just talking about the experience what he went through, that stuff — you can't put a price on that."

Evers was asked the last time he was tossed from a game.

"I actually went two years in Triple-A without getting thrown out because I made a promise to my wife," he said. "Sundays are my bad days because it's a day game in the minor leagues and with less sleep I was more apt to get thrown out on a Sunday. The good thing – with this being Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and maybe Thursday – I've got a good chance of staying in the game."

Etc.

• First baseman Miguel Sano was back in the lineup Monday batting fifth after he was rested Sunday because of a bruised shoulder sustained Saturday in Tampa Bay and a left-handed heavy lineup against Rays righty Luis Patino. Willians Astudillo moved from starting at first on Sunday to starting at third on Monday.