Postgame: Slow start, good finish to Molitor's managerial debut

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jose Berrios hit leadoff hitter Dan Motl with a pitch. Then second baseman James Beresford misplayed a double-play ball. Two batters into Paul Molitor's managerial career, he was learning how much patience he'll need.

"An inauspicious beginning," Molitor said with a smile. "We spent a lot of time on ground balls, and the first one didn't work out too well."

But Berrios escaped with only one run, the Twins didn't allow a hit over the final eight innings, and Molitor gets to remember his first game fondly, a 3-1 win over the Gophers.

There were a few glitches, however. Confusion over the count — the scoreboard and the umpire didn't agree a couple of times — caused Miguel Sano to take off for second base on a 2-2 count; he thought it was 3-2. But Sano stole the base, and bragged afterward about his underrated speed.

Molitor smirked at the thought, but said, "In [Class A] Fort Myers, he had double-digit stolen bases, though he wasn't quite so big then. But he can get going a little bit."

Later that inning, Molitor said, he and third-base coach Gene Glynn experienced some confusion over the signals, so they'll be going over them again before tomorrow's game.

The game featured only a handful of players who figure to come north next month, but it's doubtful any Twins fans cared. They got to see the organization's brightest prospects, and all contributed.

— Byron Buxton led off the Twins' first inning with a bloop to right-center that fell in for a hit — which he easily turned into a double. Then he doubled again in the second inning, driving in the go-ahead run.

— Kennys Vargas smacked a first-inning double to score Buxton.

— Miguel Sano laced a sharp single to center that nearly nailed pitcher Toby Anderson. Oh, and he stole a base.

— Jorge Polanco launched the first home run of the spring, a fly ball that landed deep in the right-field bar seats.

All were delighted with the game afterward, with Berrios pleased that he had good control of four pitches. The fastball velocity reached 95 mph — not bad, right? "Yeah, right now," he said. "Maybe later, more."