Joe Mauer is not in the lineup tonight as he continues to battle a sore quad that has bothered him for nearly a month. The ordeal began when the Twins were in Atlanta and he hustled to score from first on a Trevor Plouffe double. Both quads were sore the next day, and it has been an issue ever since.
Mauer said today that his right quad is the one that is giving him the most trouble these days.
With lefthanders starting for Detroit tonight and tomorrow, Twins manager Paul Molitor is going to leave Mauer out of the lineup until Wednesday, hoping that the three days off will help him recover. Molitor said that Mauer would not be a DL candidate if this was May or June.
It's a tough break for Mauer, who had started to sting the ball a little better before the Atlanta series. He said then that using his legs more was helping him at the plate. Now, he has more leg problems. Kennys Vargas is starting at first base tonight.
Molitor has a general idea what to do with Jose Berrios, but wants to check with his coaches before announcing a decision. Berrios could be shifted to the bullpen for the rest of the season. If that happens, the Twins would likely have a bullpen game on Friday in New York against the Mets. We should know more tomorrow.
Former Twin Mike Pelfrey is going to get the start for the Tigers on Thursday. He's subbing for Ryan Zimmerman, who's being skipped in the rotation to work on some issues.
Twins
Brian Dozier, 2B
Robbie Grossman, DH
Miguel Sano, 3B
Kennys Vargas, 1B
Kurt Suzuki, C
Max Kepler, RF
Eduardo Escobar, SS
Eddie Rosario, LF
Byron Buxton, CF
