CLEVELAND — Set to throw a Class AAA game in St. Paul on Saturday, Twins starter Andrew Albers went from Wednesday's bullpen session at CHS Field to starting Thursday's 4-1 big-league loss to Cleveland at Progressive Field on 23 hours' notice and only four days' rest.
He learned after the Saints' 17-3 victory over Omaha on Wednesday afternoon that Twins scheduled starter Randy Dobnak aggravated a strained middle finger on his throwing hand and wouldn't start the following day.
By evening, Albers was on a flight east. By midnight he was in Cleveland, reporting for duty not long after he allowed nine runs in three innings in his last Twins outing, an 11-4 loss Saturday at Tampa Bay.
Who knew he'd be back in the major leagues so soon after something like that?
"Certainly not the way I planned it," Albers said. "You hope to go down and earn your way back. You never want to see anyone go on the injured list. In baseball, you never know what's going to happen. You've got to find a way to prepare yourself for anything."
He went four innings, walked four, struck out two and allowed three runs this time around. He also surrendered two homers on a night when four homers — three by Cleveland, one a second-inning solo shot by the Twins' Miguel Sano — scored all five runs.
Twins pitchers now trail Baltimore's 214 homers by one for most allowed in the majors.
When it was over, Twins acting manager Bill Evers had the only blemish on a eight-game substitute MLB managerial record. Manager Rocco Baldelli is due back from paternity leave Friday.