Jorge Polanco was not in the lineup Sunday against the Giants after leaving Saturday's game early with left patellar tendinitis. The knee has bothered him for the past two weeks after a slide into home plate and has kept him out of a few games. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said the second baseman came in Sunday morning feeling "just OK."
"His knee is still something we're going to have to take care of and treat," Baldelli said, adding Polanco likely wasn't even available to pinch hit, should the need have arisen. "… I do think this is something that the trainers are really going to have to put their hands on and work on and see if they can get him in a better spot in the next day or two."
Cave hyped to help out
Jake Cave was on a 0-for-21 streak at the plate when he came in for the injured Jorge Polanco in the final four innings of Saturday's game.
But that run of disappointment abated right away, as he hit in both his at-bats, including driving in the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, where the Twins eventually won.
Starting on Sunday against the Giants, he was 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning and a two RBI double in the fifth.
"I'm in this position I'm in, it's tough. These pitchers are really good, and [especially] when you're not seeing them every day," Cave said. "… Polanco had a little something going on. So we needed somebody to fill in, and I was glad I could get in and get some good at-bats. And one of them just happened to be one that made a big difference."
Cave played 76 games for the Twins last season but hit only .189. The outfielder didn't make it back to the MLB level this season until earlier this month and has now appeared in 18 games.