CLEARWATER, FLA. - Joe Nathan had his second rocky outing of the spring Thursday, as the Twins continued to wait to name their Opening Day closer.Nathan, who missed last season because of reconstructive elbow surgery, allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the Twins' 7-3 victory over the Phillies.
"Facing hitters he doesn't know, all those things -- I'm not worried about that stuff," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I just want to see his arm, and the velocity and everything's good."
Nathan, whose Grapefruit League ERA is 11.05, opened with four scoreless appearances before giving up six runs against Philadelphia on March 13. He bounced back with three scoreless outings, including a six-up, six-down appearance in a minor league game Monday.
His next test will be pitching back-to-back days, with another appearance scheduled Friday. The other closer candidate, Matt Capps, made his eighth scoreless appearance Thursday.
"We're not getting into that [closer decision]," Gardenhire said. "We'll let you know at the end [of camp]."
Young's groove Delmon Young went 2-for-3 with a double and a three-run homer off lefthander Cole Hamels, raising his average to .424 this spring.
After missing the first 12 exhibition games because of a swollen left toe, Young has 14 hits in 33 at-bats, including two home runs.
"I think Delmon's kind of past all the worrying about him," Gardenhire said. "He's grown into a player. He's going to be a run producer. He can do those things."
