Little things add up to opening loss for Twins

You study statistics and lineups and then the Twins play a game that counts and the outcome is determined by nothing you would have expected.

They lost their season opener 3-2 to the Orioles while spending about 12 hours at Camden Yards on Monday, and they lost in a fashion remindful of how many different ways baseball games can be won and lost during the longest season in American sports.

The Orioles, taking their advice from head groundskeeper Carl Spackler, declined to start the game on time while it wasn't raining and decided to start it while it was raining, and that was the first unexpected development.

The in-game delay erased both teams' starting pitchers after two innings, which actually played in the Twins' favor, as Orioles starter Chris Tillman struck out five of six.

Only an odd game would have prompted an appearance by middle reliever Casey Fien, and only the Twins' late-spring decisions, combined with a strange weather day, could have so quickly caused them to regret not having a long reliever ready.

Their decision to give Ricky Nolasco the fifth starter's job meant that they needed to stretch out new long man Michael Tonkin on Saturday, and his 53 pitches that day left him unavailable for anything other than an emergency on Monday.

"Part of your challenge each and every day is to be able to adjust to whatever is thrown at you," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "You don't really imagine that scenario coming out of camp, but that's the way it went today."

The baseball saying about uncertain fielders is that "the ball will find you," and Jones' blast sought out the Twins' least-experienced glove. Miguel Sano played infield his entire life until last fall, when General Manager Terry Ryan told him to prepare for a move to right field.

Sano had trouble grabbing the carom. His throw to second baseman Brian Dozier skidded off the wet grass. Dozier had trouble gripping the ball and threw with less velocity than usual, allowing Manny Machado to score to make it 2-0.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe had feinted, causing Machado to pause rounding third. A good relay between Sano and Dozier might have saved an important run.

"It got me a little between hops," Dozier said. "It's always tough with it being so wet. You don't know if it's going to skip or hop. It was a weird play. I think he fumbled it a little bit, and then I fumbled it. Trevor did a good job deking him.

"One pitch, one swing. One time we didn't get a guy over. We left a few runners on second base. It was a messy, crazy day, and they just beat us."

He thinks he has a contender, but that didn't stop him from feeling nervous about managing a game that counts.

"There's something about the feeling of getting the season started," he said. "Last year and this year, you do all of your work and then you come in and you feel like you're not ready. There's some nervousness about that. Have I studied enough? Have I prepared enough to get the guys ready to play?

"You get questions in spring, 'How's your team going to do,' and it's such an unknown, even when you trust what you have. You can't wait to see it take shape.

"Combine the feeling of unpreparedness and the curiosity about how your guys are going to respond, and you've got yourself an Opening Day."